Welcare Hospital performs innovative life saving technique to stop post pregnancy bleeding for first time in UAE

This marks the first time the procedure has been used in this situation in the country. The relatively new technique is a minimally invasive procedure that left the woman without scarring and able to successfully overcome the considerable dangers she faced.

For many women who are suffering uncontrollable bleeding, doctors perform a hysterectomy or a surgical ligation of the iliac arteries, but these procedures often leave the patient permanently sterile. The woman in this case was in her twenties, and the doctors involved felt that these procedures should only be used as a last resort because of their severe repercussions. The staff at Welcare Hospital sought another alternative.

"The doctors involved in the woman's case felt that several of the available procedures should not be used unless there was no other alternative because of their side effects," said Dr Shanti Medhi Specialist Obstetrician & Gynaecologist of Welcare Hospital. "For a woman to lose her ability to have children at such a young age would be devastating to her, and this is why the uterine artery embolization was chosen. Fortunately, Welcare has the resources and the obligation to do whatever it can to make sure a patient goes home healthy and happy regardless of the medical crisis."

The young patient's situation however, was quite dire, and she required more than 15 units of blood & blood product transfusions in order to survive. Her bleeding continued over an eight hour period. The only alternative to a hysterectomy was a procedure that had never, up until this time, been performed in the UAE on a woman who has just given birth.

"A uterine artery embolization is a procedure where the patient has a small catheter advanced through a cannula in the groin area," said Dr. Rajeev Lochan Head of the Department of Interventional Cardiology at Welcare Hospital. He is routinely using this procedure for uterine fibroids.

"To our knowledge this is the first time this procedure has been used in the UAE. The benefit of this relatively new procedure is that the woman involved suffered no scarring, and will be able to have children in the future. Welcare remains committed to giving patients the cutting edge medical care they deserve, and that clearly is what occurred with this patient in her greatest need."

The entire procedure was very successful and the patient needed only six hours of rest in the ICU before she was discharged to the normal recovery room. After the procedure no blood transfusions or blood pressure drugs were required. The Uterine Artery Embolization(UAE) needed only local anesthesia and required no surgery whatsoever.