Sheikh Shakhbout Medical City successfully treats an international patient with life-threatening hemoptysis

Sheikh Shakhbout Medical City successfully treats an international patient with life-threatening hemoptysis

Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates – Sheikh Shakhbout Medical City (SSMC), one of the UAE’s largest hospitals and a joint-venture partnership between Abu Dhabi Health Services Company (SEHA) and Mayo Clinic, has recently performed a lung-sparing resection surgery for an international patient suffering from hemoptysis resulting from an extremely rare congenital lung malformation.

Hemoptysis is a serious and life-threatening condition that refers to coughing up blood from the lungs as a result of pulmonary bleeding. SSMC’s patient suffered from hemoptysis due to a congenital lung airway malformation; a disease present from birth that represents an abnormal development of the lungs.

Delving deeper into the patient’s rare and complex condition, Dr. Norberto Santana Rodriguez, thoracic surgery consultant and chair of the Thoracic Surgery Division at SSMC, said: “Due to the patient having a congenital deformity, there was abnormal communication between the aorta, the body’s largest artery, and the lung. This meant that blood circulation was low in pressure, whereas the aorta had high systematic pressure. This type of malformation caused an increase in the blood pressure within the lung, which is why the patient experienced bleeding through the airways for several years.”

Dr. Santana added: “The challenging aspect of treating such a case is