A Zulekha Hospital surgeon has become the first in the UAE to perform a coronary surgery using a unique and rare technique involving a surgical drill.

Completed only six times across the globe, the rotablation angioplasty procedure was performed on a UAE resident who had been experiencing shortness of breath and upon examination was diagnosed with advanced coronary heart disease that put him at risk of a heart attack.

With more than 30 years of experience in the field of coronary interventions, Dr Anil Bansal, consultant interventional cardiologist at Zulekha Hospital Dubai, said: “The patient had a very tight and calcified blockage in two of the three main arteries and we couldn’t perform a standard angioplasty as our tools would fail.”

While a regular procedure of removing arteries blockage and widening them involves the use of balloons and stents, Dr Bansal decided to use a rotablator, a surgical drill, to break up the plaque inside the patient's arteries.

Dr Bansal added: “Initially, we put a stent into the patient’s artery, but we couldn’t expand it. The blockage was so hard that any balloon would break, so we decided to use a rotablator to cut through the stent and then break the hardened, calcified area.”

Discharged from the hospital only one day after the surgery, the patient said: “I am very lucky to have undergone a procedure that is considered extremely complex and rare across the global healthcare system."

Serving as a tool in the high-tech treatment options available for those diagnosed with coronary heart disease, rotablation provides patients with a feeling of relief and increased levels of energy when their newly open arteries pump enough blood to their heart and nourish their body.

Administration director, Zia ur Rahman Shah, said: “We are glad to have been able to resolve the worst of a cardiovascular complication in this case and make a difference to the patient’s life and his family. The need of expertise and equipment, alongside a capable team at the golden hour is important and we are confident our facilities are well equipped to manage such scenarios successfully.”

Maenwhile, in line with Zulekha Hospital’s commitment to addressing the growing obesity rates across the country, the  hospital recently launched a ‘No More Excuses’ campaign, aimed at urging UAE residents to start taking responsibility for their health and wellbeing.

The first phase of the campaign offers free appointments with one of Zulekha Hospital’s specialist cardiologists in Dubai or Sharjah, who will oversee free ECG, blood pressure, sugar and cholesterol checks.  All UAE residents can make appointments by visiting promise.zulekhahospitals.com or calling 600 524 442. - TradeArabia News Service