Surgeons perform complex procedure under Egyptian expert’s supervision

A team of local surgeons led-by Egyptian expert Dr Aiman us Sabai saved the life of a patient at Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Trauma Centre by performing an ‘Endovascular Aortic Aneurysm Repair’ (EVAR) procedure, a costly and complex surgery performed for the first time at any public sector hospital in Pakistan.

The EVAR procedure is required to save the life of a person when his or her aorta is inflated, and in order to prevent it from rupturing, a stent graft is inserted.

“This procedure, EVAR, is a complex procedure and it has not been performed at any public sector hospital in the country so far. We invited the Egyptian surgeon, Dr Aiman us Sabai, to perform the procedure, which was shown live to the faculty members and students on the screens,” said Trauma Centre Chairperson Prof Saeed Quraishy. He said the abdominal aorta is the enlargement of the aneurysm just like a balloon, which if ruptured, can be life-threatening. This procedure is adopted in order to avoid any difficulties in operating the abdomen, he added.

According to Prof Quraishy, this procedure roughly costs around Rs2.5 million as only the cost of the stent graft is more than Rs1.2 million. However, this procedure was done free of charge at the SMBB trauma Centre with the help of the Egyptian surgeon.

The head of vascular surgery, Dr Mohammad Fahad Tariq, Intervention Radiologist Dr Irfan Lutfi, along with their team, carried out the operation.

Prof Quraishy, who is also the vice chancellor of the Dow University of Health Sciences and a professor of surgery at the varsity, maintained that in the EVAR procedure, a stent graft is inserted into the aneurysm and risk factors of the this condition are the same as of that cardiovascular disease or coronary heart disease.

“In cardiovascular disease, arteries are blocked, and in aortic aneurysm, aorta is inflated, but the causes are the same, including smoking, hypertension, diabetes and sedentary life style. Treatment in both the cases requires the insertion of a stent.” He appreciated the team who performed the procedure and said similar efforts would continue for the betterment of patient care at the trauma centre, and advanced equipment and technologies would be provided for treatment. The senior faculty of the Dow University of Health Sciences, surgeons of Civil Hospital Karachi and students witnessed the EVAR procedure.