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Impressive Medical Achievements at Prince Sultan Cardiac Center in Al-Ahsa

03 June 2012

The Ministry of Health (MOH) has been always making every effort in its quest to improve the health services provided to patients, keeping in line with the Ministry's vision seeking to maintain patients' satisfaction, and put into effect the MOH slogan: “Patient First”. In this spirit, the Ministry has been showing keen interest in the establishment of specialized medical centers throughout the Kingdom. One of these centers is Prince Sultan Cardiac Center in Al-Ahsa, which has accomplished several terrific medical achievements in curative services, including performing an interventional cardiac catheterization surgery, which is the first of its kind throughout the Kingdom, to transplant a cardiac pump for a patient suffering from severe narrowness in sensitive parts of coronary arteries. The center was the first throughout the Kingdom to adopt this surgical technology. The center witnessed, also, performing the first valve heart operation by using endoscopy, depending on limited surgery. This is the first operation of its kind in all over the Middle East. Besides, the center performed, for the first time in the Kingdom's specialized centers, 14 aortic valve transplantation surgeries depending on catheterization, scientifically known as: Transcatheter Aortic-Valve Implantation (TAVI).

Another achievement accomplished by Prince Sultan Cardiac Center is performing 10 heart electricity catheterization surgeries for the first time in the Middle East, by using a robot to treat the pulse disorders, and deficiency of heart electricity. That's to be added to the Kingdom's project of congenital cardiac defects, under the lead of Prince Sultan Cardiac Center. The project is planned to cover the entire Kingdom, and in order for that to be accomplished, the project involves tremendous research efforts, patronized by King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST). It is reckoned the largest medical project specialized in congenital cardiac defects in history. To date, 600 cardiac patients have been treated by using the Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI) technology, by attacking cardiac clots while being formed, by way of getting to such clots and extracting them, and then transplanting the necessary arterial vasodilators according to the patient's case. In doing so, the center endeavors to provide best-quality curative services for patients. The Center has also conducted a surgery on a young man (28 years old), suffering from a tumor in the left ventricle, by eradicating the tumor. This surgery is reckoned the first of its kind throughout the Kingdom and the whole Arab World, and it’s the 37th at the international scale.

In addition, the center conducted a catheterization surgery on a 104-year-old man suffering from blockage of the main heart arteries. That's to be added conducting the first transplantation surgery of an electric pulsatile on a child. This device is characterized by high communication and monitoring features, making use of satellites. It is also suitable for the tremendous magnetic field while undergoing magnetic imaging, without causing any harm to the patient. Also, the rotablator technology was used to conduct curative catheterization. It does about 140 – 180000 laps per minute, depending on a pneumatic turbine with the aim to break up the calcium calcified on the inner walls of arteries, thereby widening these arteries.

Prince Sultan Cardiac Center offers several cardiac services, including diagnostic and curative catheterization, open-heart surgeries (for both children and adults), treatment of heart failure, as well as the treatment of congenital cardiac defects. That's to be added to particular clinics for treating children and newborns from congenital defects, ultrasound cardiac imaging, nuclear cardiology, high-risk catheterization, treatment of cardiac disorders, transplantation of electrical trauma, radar-band catheterization, and robot catheterization used for the treatment of pulse disorders.

The number of visits of outpatient clinics over the first quarter of this year is 1661 visits, as opposed to 29210 visits over the past year, 22765 in 1431 H, and 18752 visits in 1430 H. The number of catheterization operations during the first quarter of this year is 2858 operations, as opposed to 2377 operations in 1432 H, 2035 operations in 1431 H, and 1342 operations in 1430 H.

The number of patients at Prince Sultan Cardiac Center in Al-Ahsa is 14411 patients, out of whom 1020 patients were hospitalized during the first quarter of this year, 13391 patients till the end of the past year, 10549 in 1431 H, 7854 patients in 1430 H. The number of open-heart operations during the first quarter of this year, 133 operations in 1432 H, 92 operations in 1431 H, and 83 operations in 1430 H.

It is worth mentioning that the center received generous support from the deceased Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, May Allah bless his soul. On November 28th, 2003, he placed the foundation stone of the center, as a personal donation for the people of Al-Ahsa. The center was operated on February 12th, 2008. This was preceded by the operation of outpatient clinics as of July 7th, 2007. The primary budget of its establishment is estimated as SR 55 million. Lying on a total area of 7431 m2, the Center includes 11 departments: Cardiac Catheterization Department, Cardiac Surgery Department, Outpatient Clinics, Pediatric Cardiac Unit, Coronary Arteries ICU, Cardiac Surgery ICU, Hospitalization Units, Pharmaceutical Care Department, Medical Equipment and Supply Department and the Information System & Electronic Archiving. The number of the center's doctors is 45 doctors, in addition to 232 nurses. It accommodates 75 specific beds.