32 year old Iraqi lady undergoes rare and complex open heart surgery in India

Orubah Abdulshah at Wockhardt Hospitals,Bangalore

After a complicated heart surgery at Wockhardt Hospitals Bangalore, Orubah Abdulshah, 32 year old Iraqi lady is all set to go back to Iraq with a new lease of life. A team of cardiac experts led by Dr. N S Devananda, Cardiac Surgeon, performed a complex procedure on Orubah Abdulshah who had come to India with some symptoms of heart failure.

Orubah who never complained of any ailment in her life even while raising her 4 children, was feeling shortness of breath and fatigue for the past one year. Upon consultation with the local doctors in Iraq, she was detected of a cardiac disorder called aortic root dilatation where the root of the aorta which is connected to the heart muscles was enlarged. She was told by the local doctor in Iraq that her symptoms were complicated and her survival post surgery was less than 70%. Orubah’s husband without losing faith consulted with Wockhardt Hospitals in India and finally decided to bring her to for the surgery.

On her arrival at Wockhardt Hospitals Orubah went through a round of CT scan and echo where she was diagnosed to have some really serious heart defect in addition to what was detected in Iraq. Orubah was having a severe constriction of aorta (the vessel that comes out of heart and supplies blood to the whole of the body through various branches). This disease is called severe co-arctation of Aorta and mitral valve leakage. Incidentally this disorder is considered to be a congenital defect. “This is combination is a very rare presentation at this age”, commented Dr. N S Devananda, Cardiac Surgeon, Wockhardt Hospitals who operated upon Orubah.

“The most amazing fact was how Orubah was surviving so long with the congenital defect and without showing any symptoms. Above all she has given birth to 4 children whereas pregnancy puts a great pressure on the heart and it is surprising that her heart sustained that sort of pressure” added Dr. Devananda.

The treatment options for Orubah were now either surgical repair through different incisions or through a hybrid approach. Witnessing the complexity of the case the doctors decided to take the hybrid approach and conduct the surgery in two stages. In the first stage was repairing of the co-arctation of the aorta and second was the Mitral Valve repair along with Bentall procedure.

Interventional Cardiologists Dr. Subhash Chandra and his team started the 1st procedure by dilating the constriction in aorta with a help of a balloon and then put a stent graft in the constricted part so as to prevent the aorta from collapsing. It was then followed by the 2nd procedure which was an open heart surgery performed by Dr. N S Devananda, Cardiac Surgeon and his team where. This surgery involved repairing of her mitral valve and her aortic valve along with ascending aorta was replaced. This was an off pump surgery with the use of the heart lung machine. The second surgery was performed within 24 hours of the interventional procedure and there was very minimal blood loss and only 1 unit of blood transfusion was required.

Orubah had a smooth and fast recovery. After 24 hours of her second procedure she was brought to her room. Dr. Devananda explains, “A hybrid approach like this case which was very difficult and complex in nature however made the overall procedure less risky and brought down the magnitude of the procedure so that recovery could be faster.”

The religious and cultural beliefs impacts the healthcare requirements of Muslim women and many of them suffer without medical attention at the appropriate time. Many women succumb to death due to lack of medical attention and at times are completely ignorant of the ailments residing within their system. But Orubah’s case is a true example of healthcare needs taking an edge over religious belief. Her husband played a pivotal role in giving her a new lease of life and treating her at the right time. A little delay could have worsened things. From a war bound country Orubah traveled across borders leaving her four children back home with a hope to spend the rest of life with them in her healthiest form. Now Orubah is desperately looking forward to go back to Iraq and lead a healthier life with her husband and children.

Expressing his gratitude for the doctors at Wockhardt Hospitals Mr. Abdulshah said, “When the doctors in Iraq told that Orubah has less than 70% of survival chances, we left everything to Lord and prayed fervently that He showed us the right way to save her life. That’s when we were referred to Wockhardt Hospitals. As soon as the visa processing was done without wasting much time we flew down to Bangalore to get her treated. But our worries didn’t stop there. On further diagnosis the doctors revealed that she had severe complications in her heart. But our faith in Lord was undeterred and believing in the Almighty left things in the hands of the doctor and proceeded with the surgery. Today Orubah has come out victoriously battling her life through the complex surgery.”