By Prashant K. Nanda
Gurgaon, Aug 19 (IANS) A soldier of the Royal Army of Oman got a new lease of life after doctors here conducted a five-hour surgery to remove a rare, huge tumour that was squeezing his heart and lungs.
Mohammad Al Rashidi, 33, was admitted to the Artemis Health Institute, a super speciality private hospital in Gurgaon, a booming suburb of Delhi, earlier this month. He left for Oman Friday.
“It was a rare surgery as the tumour was as big as a basket ball – it was 9 inches by 6 inches in size. It was twice the size of his heart,” said Kushagra Kataria, a cardio-thoracic surgeon at the hospital.
“The tumour was squeezing his heart, lungs, ribs and aorta, a vital chest artery. It took five doctors five long hours to complete the surgery,” Kataria, who led the team of doctors, told IANS.
Al Rashidi was admitted to Artemis Aug 8. Doctors said the patient had known about the tumour for the last four years but was hesitant to go in for surgery. Kataria said Al Rashidi came to them after doctors in Singapore refused to treat him since it was a highly complicated case.
Doctors said he was kept in the intensive care unit for a few days after an array of medical tests.
“This was a challenging operation. Not only was the tumour very vascular and would bleed easily when touched, but it also had to be peeled off the aorta, a very large artery located close to the heart and the vertebral column.
“It was really in a critical area where even one small error could have led to the patient bleeding to death on the operating table.”
Al Rashidi, who only speaks Arabic, told IANS through a written reply that he was satisfied with the treatment and the facilities available at the hospital.
“It was also reassuring to have nurses who could converse with me in Arabic. I feel as good as new,” he said.
Kataria also pointed out that the young soldier, who came to India with his cousin, handled himself very well.
“A day after his surgery, he managed to stand by himself and left for his home country after a week of medical stay. We hope he will be able to return to his service after one month,” Kataria explained.
Said Hassan Tehrani, another doctor: “Most surgeons might not see a case like this in their entire professional career.”