UAE: Woman saved from open-heart surgery as hospital uses shockwave tech

UAE: Woman saved from open-heart surgery as hospital uses shockwave tech

The patient had severely calcified coronary artery, was experiencing chest pain and struggling to walk

Khadijeh Abdollah and Dr Sokhrab Khorram (middle) at RAK Hospital.

Published: Tue 22 Aug 2023, 6:00 AM

An Emirati woman has been spared from an open-heart surgery after a hospital in the UAE used innovative shockwave technology known as Intravascular Lithotripsy (IVL). According to the medical team at RAK Hospital, the innovative approach proved to be a “life-changing solution” for 69-year-old Khadijeh Abdollah, who arrived at the hospital in a critical condition.

The patient had severely calcified coronary artery, was experiencing chest pain and struggling to walk.

Dr Sokhrab Khorram, specialist interventional cardiologist at RAK Hospital, highlighted how complex the case was: "Considering the patient's history of diabetes, high blood pressure, ischemic heart disease (IHD), and a previous coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) procedure, an open-heart surgery posed substantial risks," he said.

Calcified arteries present a challenging scenario for patients like Khadijeh, where the accumulation of calcium hardens the arteries, making standard stenting procedures difficult and sometimes unfeasible. If left untreated, this condition can lead to heart attacks or heart failure.

During the angioplasty procedure at the hospital, the medical team encountered difficulties that prevented stent placement. To address this, the innovative