American Hospital Dubai Sets Another Milestone with a Highly Complex Open Vascular Surgery

American Hospital Dubai is proud to announce another milestone: a complex surgery successfully performed, involving an open thrombectomy of the aorta and kidney arteries, followed by an aorto-bi-femoral bypass with a graft on a 53-year-old male patient with advanced cardiac and peripheral arterial disease.

As a regional leader in treating complex diseases and performing highly complex open and robotic surgeries, American Hospital Dubai has consistently set new milestones in surgical excellence. It achieves medical breakthroughs for patients who previously faced unsuccessful treatments, putting them back on the path to health and recovery.

The patient, a 53-year-old British man, presented to the American Hospital Dubai’s Heart and Vascular Institute with advanced cardiac and peripheral artery disease. He was experiencing lower extremity claudication, or muscle pain and cramping in his legs, when he walked even 50 to 100 meters, limiting his movements.

Imaging tests revealed total occlusion, or blockage, of the aorta at the level of the kidney arteries and total occlusion of the left and right iliac arteries. (The aorta is the main and largest artery in the body, starting from the top of the heart and supplying all internal organs with blood. It bifurcates into iliac arteries, which further split into smaller arteries supplying blood to the lower extremities, reproductive system, and pelvic organs.) Due to the arterial involvement, the patient had developed kidney issues, with reduced kidney function and elevated creatinine levels.

The patient had previously undergone several non-surgical treatments, including endovascular or non-invasive procedures to open blocked arteries, but all were unsuccessful.

Therefore, the American Hospital Dubai’s Heart and Vascular Institute decided on an open surgery for the patient: a thrombectomy of the aorta and renal arteries to clear and open the kidney arteries and the aorta, followed by an aorto-bi-femoral bypass with a prosthetic graft to improve blood flow to his lower extremities.

The patient was admitted to the hospital, and after preparation, a complex five-hour surgery was performed by the American Hospital Dubai’s Heart and Vascular Institute surgery team in collaboration with the cardiovascular anesthesia team, led by Dr Arash Tofigh, vascular and endovascular surgeon at American Hospital Dubai.

The highly challenging open surgery involved multiple stages: accessing the supra-renal aorta to remove blood clots (thrombectomy) and performing an endarterectomy of the aorta and renal arteries (removing plaque buildup from narrowed or blocked arteries). This was followed by an aorto-bi-femoral bypass with a graft. The graft is an artificial blood vessel that reroutes the blood flow to the legs by circumventing the narrowed or blocked portions of arteries.

A cell saver machine, a device that cleans up the blood lost during surgery and recycles it for the body’s use, was used to eliminate the need for blood transfusions. Additionally, by monitoring the blood supply to the kidneys with a modern device, the total time the kidneys went without blood supply (medically known as ischemic time) was limited to 35 minutes.

The surgery was a complete success. Post-surgery, the patient had a complication-free recovery in the ICU. His renal function returned to normal levels, his pedal pulses (pulse feeling in the feet) were re-established, and his claudication resolved due to the reestablishment of blood flow to the lower extremities. He was discharged from the hospital after six days, and his follow-up visits in the clinic confirmed the surgery’s success.

Dr Tofigh said: "Despite advances in minimally invasive surgeries and endovascular procedures, some vascular patients still require life-saving open surgeries. These surgeries, which are highly complex and extensive, demand experienced medical teams and advanced medical centers equipped with modern technology. Fortunately, the successful completion of this surgery demonstrated that American Hospital Dubai possesses all the necessary capabilities for performing extensive and complex surgeries."

AMERICAN HOSPITAL DUBAI

American Hospital Dubai, established in 1996, is the flagship brand of the Mohammad & Obaid AlMulla Group and a regional healthcare leader, offering world-class medical services supported by cutting-edge technology and innovations. A Mayo Clinic Network Member (MCNM) with many firsts in international accreditations, American Hospital Dubai invests in AI, Research, and Education to bring new healthcare solutions to the people. The hospital has consistently set standards in quality treatments, processes and patient-focused care benchmarks, and its research breakthroughs help improve medical efficiency and care outcomes.