New Cutting-Edge Method Offers Many Benefits to Bypass Patients
Abu Dhabi - UAE: Sheikh Khalifa Medical City (SKMC) managed by Cleveland Clinic is pleased to announce the performance of a number of successful cardiac surgeries using a new cutting-edge method for the first time in the UAE. Instead of the traditional open surgeries, minimally invasive endoscopic vein harvesting procedures are now performed by Dr. Norbert Augustin, Chairman of the Cardiac Sciences Institute and his cardiac surgical team at SKMC. SKMC is part of the SEHA Health System and is owned and operated by Abu Dhabi Health Services Company PJSC (SEHA), which is responsible for the curative activities of all the public hospitals and clinics in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.
Coronary artery bypass grafting reroutes blood around blocked arteries to improve blood flow and oxygen to the heart. The procedure involves taking, or harvesting, a vein or artery from another part of the body, typically the leg, and sewing or grafting the vessel to the coronary artery to bypass the clogged artery and restore the blood flow.
Traditionally, the vessel is removed from the leg through a long incision that may stretch from the ankle to the groin. In addition to a long visible scar, some patients who have the traditional method of vessel removal experience more postoperative pain from the leg incision than from the chest incision. Rehabilitation may also be delayed because the leg incision may make it more difficult for the patient to stand or walk after surgery. This new method is designed to reduce the surgical trauma to the patient and decrease the incidence of wound healing problems.
Endoscopic Vessel Harvesting (EVH) offers patients a minimally invasive alternative for obtaining the vein or artery. Using this method, the vessel can be removed through one to three very small incisions. During the procedure, an endoscope is connected to a video camera and inserted into the incision, providing the surgeon with the view needed to find the vessel. Following to that, the surgeon creates a working tunnel in order to remove the vessel with minimal stress on the leg.
"Endoscopic vessel harvesting has tremendous potential benefits for patients as reducing leg wound complications and offering a much better cosmetic result," said Dr. Norbert Augustin. "We are pleased to be able to offer this less-invasive option to our patients at SKMC using the expertise of our team. We have already performed 30 cases using this new method with excellent medical outcomes."
The benefits of Endoscopic Vessel Harvesting are reduced pain, reduced blood loss, reduced risk of infection, shorter hospital stay, faster recovery, faster return to work and excellent cosmetic results.
Carl Stanifer, CEO of SEHA added, "The continued expansion and ongoing success of medical and surgical services at SKMC are significant steps forward towards a healthcare system comparable to the best in the world. This is yet another milestone for SEHA and SKMC as pioneers in the medical and healthcare field in the region."
Dr. Tej Maini, CEO of SKMC stated, "We continuously expand our capabilities to perform new minimally invasive procedures for our patients. This illustrates our commitment to embracing state-of-the-art medical and surgical practices that allow our surgeons to advance the standard of care for their patients. Using minimally invasive procedure at SKMC's Cardiac Sciences Institute demonstrates SEHA, SKMC and Cleveland Clinic's commitment to improving the lives of patients through innovation."
Dr. Atul Mehta, Chief Medical Officer at SKMC said, "We started performing cardiac surgeries at SKMC for adults in 2006 and for pediatrics in 2007. Since then, more than 1300 cardiac surgeries for adults and 950 for children were done by our well-trained and experienced cardiac surgery team and the highly qualified medical team."
"Our physicians at SKMC constantly endeavor to innovate and create new avenues of patient care by pioneering procedures across the UAE such as this one," Dr. Mehta concluded.
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About SKMC managed by Cleveland Clinic
Sheikh Khalifa Medical City (SKMC) is located in Abu Dhabi City, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, and operates under the management of Cleveland Clinic, consistently named by U.S. News and World Report as one of the nation's best hospitals in its annual "America's Best Hospitals" survey. SKMC is owned by SEHA, the Abu Dhabi Health Services Company, recently established to oversee operations of all public hospitals in the Emirate. SKMC is the flagship institution for the public health system in Abu Dhabi and has several 'Centers of Excellence', and aspires to practice contemporary medicine comparable to the best hospitals and medical centers in the world. SKMC provides comprehensive healthcare services in all of the disciplines relevant to the needs and priorities of the community to attain the highest levels of patient satisfaction.
SKMC consists of 568-bed Tertiary Hospital, 14 outpatient specialty clinics and Abu Dhabi Blood Bank, all of which are accredited by the Joint Commission International (JCI). SKMC is also accredited as a Cycle III Chest Pain Center with Primary Angioplasty Intervention. In addition, SKMC manages a 125-bed Behavioral Sciences Pavilion, 6 Family Medicine Clinics, 2 Dental Centers, and 2 Urgent Care Centers distributed over the city of Abu Dhabi. For further information, please contact us at marketing@skmc.gov.ae or visit www.skmc.gov.ae.
About the SEHA Health System and the Abu Dhabi Health Services Company PJSC (SEHA)
SEHA is health in Arabic. The Abu Dhabi Health Services Company PJSC- whose marketing identity is SEHA - is an independent, public joint stock company created to develop the curative activities of the public healthcare system in Abu Dhabi. The company owns and operates all the public hospitals and clinics of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi which together make up the SEHA Health System. SEHA is committed to providing high quality, cost effective healthcare in a socially responsible way on par with international standards measured through accessibility, affordability, choice and satisfaction. SEHA has partnered with internationally recognized hospital managers to achieve these goals. These include Johns Hopkins Medicine International, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, VAMED, Vienna Medical University and Bumrungrad International. SEHA owns and operates 12 hospitals with 2,644 beds, 62 ambulatory care, family care and urgent care centers and 2 blood banks. SEHA is one of the largest integrated healthcare providers in the Middle East with 16,500 doctors, nurses, ancillary care and administrative personnel in its employ. Visit our website at www.seha.ae.
Media Contact:
Farah Al Alami
Mob.:0508128892
Email: marketing@skmc.gov.ae
© Press Release 2011
