(MENAFN- Emirates News Agency (WAM)) A ground-breaking heart operation has been carried out on a 21-year-old Emirati student at Sharjah's Al Qassimi Hospital. Specialists created medical history in the UAE by conducting the first artificial heart surgery on the student, commented a UAE daily .
"The medical experts' team at Sharjah's Al Qassimi Hospital skilfully implanted an artificial heart, or in technical terms, the left ventricular assist device (LVAD), on the patient," said The Gulf Today in an editorial on Sunday.
The trailblasing surgery was lauded by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, a leader who has always had the best interests of people at heart.
A ventricular assist device is an electromechanical circulatory device that is used to partially or completely replace the function of a failing heart. Some VADs are intended for short-term use, typically for patients recovering from heart attacks or heart surgery, while others are intended for long-term use, typically for patients suffering from advanced congestive heart failure.
The paper goes on to say that what is alarming is that the patient with the heart ailment is very young. The University of Sharjah student was said to be living with the support of an external assistive device for several days before the surgery. Such spectacular operations only increase the confidence of other patients facing similar conditions.
"A generation ago, heart problems would dog middle-aged people, particularly those in their 50s and 60s. Now, it's affecting those in their 20s and 30s. A study shows that nearly 30 percent of the young people are vulnerable to heart disease because of bad eating habits, high blood pressure, obesity and high rates of diabetes," added the daily.
It just goes to show that certain precautions and measures need to be taken to check its onset. Among them are monitoring blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar levels, steering clear of smoking, having a diet rich in fruit and vegetables, and regular exercise.
The new device implanted in the young Emirati gives him a fresh lease of life. The operation puts Sharjah, and the UAE, in the spotlight of medical excellence and spirals the nation's gravitas as a hub of medical tourism in the region.
"Sharjah is chalking out new frontiers in the fields of industry, health, education and tourism. It is pulling out all the stops to make life as comfortable as possible for both the national and the expatriate. It thereby sets for itself new benchmarks of lifestyle and wellness," concluded the Sharjah-based daily.
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