Life-Saving Open Chest Surgery Performed On Young Patient At Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi

Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, a member of the M42 group, recently performed a critical open chest surgery on a 31-year-old patient. The patient was suffering from Chronic Thromboembolic Pulmonary Hypertension (CTEPH), a severe condition caused by high pressure in the pulmonary artery. This pressure disrupts blood flow between the heart and lungs.

CTEPH is a rare disease, affecting about 3 to 30 people per million. It has a high mortality rate and can develop in 0.4% to 4.8% of patients diagnosed with acute pulmonary embolism. Dr. Usman Ahmad, Department Chair of Thoracic Surgery at the Heart, Vascular and Thoracic Institute, highlighted the severity of untreated CTEPH. "Upon our initial assessment, we recommended several tests to pinpoint the root cause of the patient's condition. Through this process, we found evidence of CTEPH," said Dr. Ahmad.

The patient exhibited abnormal heart pressure and extensive clotting in blood vessels beneath it. These clots had traveled to his lungs, causing significant breathing issues and increased heart pressure, which could lead to heart failure.

Dr. Arun Kumar, Staff Physician in Cardiothoracic Anesthesia at the Anesthesiology Institute, explained the complexity of anesthesia in such cases. "During the procedure, we had to fully open the chest and connect it to a heart-lung bypass machine to do a deep hypothermic circulatory arrest," he said.

This involved lowering the patient's body temperature to 18°C to temporarily halt bodily functions. During this period, they carefully assessed lung blood vessels and meticulously removed scar tissue to restore functionality.

Post-Surgery Care

After removing scar tissue from the lung blood vessels, blood circulation was resumed via the machine. The body was gradually warmed up, reactivating the heart and lungs for normal function.

The patient received care from a multidisciplinary team at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi. This team included surgeons, pulmonologists, cardiologists, interventional cardiologists, and interventional radiologists.

The successful surgery highlights Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi's expertise in handling complex medical conditions like CTEPH.

With inputs from WAM