ESRD patients from UAE are able to start a new life!
Through Seoul National University Hospital, ESRD patients from UAE are able to start a new life!
- Doctors from different departments at Seoul National University Hospital teamed up to save an ESRD patient from the UAE who had little hope of receiving renal transplantation due to heart disease.
- “I have been deeply impressed by Korea’s excellent medical service - close collaboration among doctors, speedy procedures, and friendly service of the International Healthcare Center,” says the Emirati patient.
An Emirati patient severely suffering from the End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) received a new life with the help of the Korean medical team. The story of the patient who came afar from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) touched the hearts of everyone as it was reported that the patient’s son donated his kidney to his father.
Mr. Sultan, a former soldier serving the Emirati military, had been living with high blood pressure and obesity which developed into chronic kidney disease in 2009. To make matters worse, he was diagnosed with Ischemic Heart Disease (IHD) that accompanied extreme chest pain. He therefore had to undergo coronary artery bypass surgery in 2010 and percutaneous coronary intervention in 2011. Patients with IHD have their blood vessels narrowed down as plaque is built up within the blood vessels that provide oxygen and nutrition to the heart muscles.
In the meantime, his kidney function deteriorated and he had to go through hemodialysis three times a week since March 2012, which was a huge challenge. Emirati doctors at Zayed Military Hospital diagnosed him with ESRD and recommended him to receive kidney transplantation.
Mr. Mohamed Sultan, the first son (among Mr. Sultan’s three sons and three daughters) who had the same blood type with his father, decided to give his kidney to his suffering father. However, there was no Emirati hospital capable of performing a renal transplantation operation.
Families asked around all the major hospitals in the world to find out the hospital that can conduct renal transplantation. In April 2013 they contacted a university hospital in China to inquire about kidney transplantation only to receive a disappointing message that ‘renal transplantation is difficult’ for patients with cardiac disorder.
For the last attempt in their long and desperate search for the hospital, the family contacted Seoul National University Hospital (SNUH) with the help of the Ministry of Defense of the UAE. After signing an agreement with the Ministry of Defense of the UAE last year, SNUH has been treating soldiers as well as patients at Zayed Military Hospital whose cases are beyond the capacity of local technology.
At last, the long-awaited news came from Korea. The Korean medical team assured that ‘renal transplantation is possible.’ With new hope and relief, the family arrived at Incheon Airport in February 2014.
Doctors at the Organ Transplantation Service of SNUH teamed up for the surgery. There was a high risk to perform an operation for Mr. Sultan, whose kidney as well as heart was failing. For the heart to survive through a long anesthesia, a highly sophisticated and swift operation with exact precision was required.
Under close collaboration, doctors from different departments at SNUH quickly started on their joint mission. Prof. Jaeseok Yang at the Transplantation Center took charge of evaluating kidney conditions of both father and son before the surgery and following up the conditions of the patients after the surgery. Prof. Chang-Wook Jeong at the Dept. of Urology extracted kidney from the son while Prof. Sang-Il Min at the Dept. of Surgery transplanted the removed kidney and followed up the conditions of the transplanted kidney after the surgery.
It was 9:00 in the morning on 6 February when both the father and son were led to the operation room at the second floor of the hospital. The surgery was highly successful. Mr. Sultan received his son’s healthy kidney and left the hospital on 27 February after fully recovering from the surgery.
Mr. Sultan said, “It was Emirati doctors who recommended me to go to Korea. I was personally not that much aware of Korea, but I trusted the Emirati doctors for making the right choice. I have been deeply impressed by Korea’s excellent medical service - close collaboration among doctors, speedy procedures, and friendly service of the International Healthcare Center.”
Mr. Mohamed said, “I hope my father can go back home very soon to stay with our family together.” With his thumbs up, he joyfully chanted, “KOREA DOCTOR, VERY GOOD, THANK YOU.”
Prof. Jaeseok Yang said, “Since Mr. Sultan had a medical history of cardiac disease, his case was very complicated and difficult. However, thanks to the close collaboration with doctors from different departments, the surgery was very successful.”
Prof. Sang-Il Min also said, “It was a highly successful transplantation. The transplanted kidney is functioning very well and the patient is also in a good condition.” He added that “From now on, it is important that the patient receives a proper health care, takes immunosuppressant, and gets follow-up examinations regularly. Yet I remain very hopeful because all of these can be conducted through a remote medical treatment at Zayed Military Hospital.”
Since SNUH signed an agreement with the Ministry of Defense of the UAE in April 2013, a total of 29 patients from Zayed Military Hospital were treated at SNUH. The majority of the patients received highly sophisticated operations such as organ transplantation surgery and cancer surgery, which were beyond the scope of local technology, and happily returned home after fully recovering.