'Diamond Drill' to open multiple blockages in UAE at Zulekha Hospital

This procedure promises greater precision as a new alternative for patients with multiple, hard, calcified blockages in their arteries. This new complex non-surgical heart procedure, carried out on Mr. Harshad Mehta was the first attempt at opening multiple blockages in UAE on 29th of Jan 2007, while Mr. Mehta lay awake. The procedure was a success and Mr. Mehta is ready to go home in 24 hours.

The Diamond Drill is a safer, less invasive alternate for patients who previously had little hope for resuming a normal life owing to the calcified blockages. During this procedure a small catheter is painlessly threaded through an artery into the heart. A fine rotating diamond Burr of about 1.55 mm at 150,000 to 170,000 revolutions per minute is then inserted to clear and remove the blockage within the artery. The usage of diamond ensures clearing of the most stubborn, hardened and calcified blockages.

Dr. Fayaz Shawl (MD, FACP, FCCP, FACC, FSCAI), Clinical Professor of Medicine & Director of Interventional Cardiovascular Medicine - George Washington University, Washington DC, Director - Interventional Cardiology, Washington Adventist Hospital, USA and Chief interventional Cardiologist at Zulekha Hospital, Dubai has performed over 2000 such procedures since the Diamond Drill method was invented by Dr. David Auth in 1990 in USA. Having mastered the complicated cardiac procedures, Dr. Shawl is now committed to developing UAE as the ideal interventional destination after 9/11 and the subsequent difficulties in visa processing. This will also restrict the amount of healthcare revenue flowing out of UAE and instead promises to attract more revenue towards the Gulf.

On the same day a similar procedure was also performed in CIRC at Zulekha Hospital, Dubai, on another patient with multiple blockages who had an unsuccessful open heart surgery in the past. Conventional angioplasty was attempted on this patient at Bombay earlier but failed due to severely hardened and calcified blocks, thus unable to implant a stent. Another patient from the United Kingdom who previously had failed bypass surgery and 5 Angioplasties will have an ultra-sound based intervention (looking inside the artery to see the type of blockage) to arrive upon appropriate treatment plan. Dr. Shawl is also one of the few interventionists who strongly advocate 'prevention' of surgery even after being such a successful proponent.

Being a practitioner of the adage 'paying it forward' Dr. Shawl also plans to do procedures for patients with no financial assistance from his foundation Dr. Fayaz Shawl Philanthropic Foundation saying, "I sincerely believe, as my late father did, that the more you give, the more you receive." Dr. Shawl also plans to discuss plans with 20 physicians from USA to develop an advanced cardiac centre for UAE and the entire region. His vision to generate a pool of Cardiac Specialists from this part of the world has taken definite shape in the establishment of CIRC at Zulekha Hospital.

Dr. Shawl has always played an active role in all aspects of Interventional Cardiology ever since he performed the first Angioplasty at Walter Reed Army Medical Centre, USA in 1981. He is considered to have performed every known interventional technique and in fact has pioneered several techniques. Having performed over 16000 interventional procedures, he is considered to have performed more procedures as a single operator than any other interventionist in the world. Dr. Shawl has authored over 150 leading articles, abstracts, editorials and book chapters. He has also published a book entitled 'Supported Complex and High Risk Coronary Angioplasty'. Dr. Fayaz Shawl is only the second person after Bill Gates to be honoured with a photo feature in the internationally acclaimed magazine 'Insight'.