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UAE: 10 life-saving organ transplants performed in October

Abu Dhabi - Procedures carried out by doctors at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi

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by

Ashwani Kumar

Published: Mon 25 Oct 2021, 1:13 PM

Last updated: Mon 25 Oct 2021, 1:15 PM

An Abu Dhabi hospital has performed 10 life-saving organ transplants this month, saving the lives of several critically ill patients.

A multidisciplinary team of doctors at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi (CCAD) completed multiple transplants in the first three weeks of October.

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The operations included two deceased donor kidney transplants and a deceased donor liver transplant, performed in a single day.

Doctors at CCAD also worked with counterparts from Cleveland Clinic in the US to perform living-donor liver transplant operations.

In another complex procedure, the team transplanted the kidney and liver of a deceased donor to save the life of a 15-year-old patient.

CCAD said it is on track to perform a record number of complex transplant procedures this month thereby saving the lives of critically ill patients and highlighting the importance of organ donation in the UAE’s healthcare sector.

“Such an achievement in successively coordinating and treating so many patients with end-stage organ disease demonstrates the robustness of our transplant programme and the confidence and trust of families in our expertise to deliver innovative and compassionate care for their loved ones,” said Dr Bashir Sankari, director, CCAD’s transplant programme.

He added, “Nothing is more gratifying than seeing these patients make remarkable improvements and leave our hospital with a better quality of life. We owe a debt of gratitude to the donors, both living and deceased, for the enormous gift of life they have given to these patients.”

So far this year, CCAD has performed 63 transplants, sometimes multiple procedures in a day, in collaboration with other hospitals in the UAE and the region, and with multidisciplinary teams from Cleveland Clinic in the US. In total, CCAD has performed 173 transplant operations since the launch of the programme in 2017, with this year being the busiest so far.

Dr Luis Campos, director, liver transplant and hepatobiliary, CCAD, noted the introduction of living-related organ donation and combined organ transplants has enabled them to successfully treat many more high-risk patients from across the region.

“Patients who would otherwise be waiting for months or even years for a deceased donor have another lifeline with our living-related organ donation programme. We’ve cared for some of the youngest patients from the UAE and abroad with end-stage disease, which are much more nuanced and challenging given their age.

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"Our expertise in combined transplants allows us to replace two organs in a patient suffering from multiple organ failure in a single surgery, proving more beneficial as they require lower immunosuppression doses and have a better survival rate,” said Dr Campos.

Earlier this year, CCAD performed the UAE’s first pancreas transplant in a combined operation that also saw a young woman receive a new kidney. The nation’s first combined liver and kidney transplant was also performed at the hospital.

Ashwani Kumar

Published: Mon 25 Oct 2021, 1:13 PM

Last updated: Mon 25 Oct 2021, 1:15 PM

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