In a one of a kind national achievement, a medical team in King Fahad Specialist Hospital, Dammam conducted two successful transplants, considered the first of their kind in the Ministry of Health hospitals in the kingdom. The operations were conducted on two patients suffering from a plasma blood tumor by an autologous stem cell transplant.
This was stated in a press conference yesterday morning held by Chief Executive Officer of King Fahad Specialist Hospital, Dammam, Dr. Khalid M. Al Shaibani in the presence of all medical team. He said that these two operations were done by using techniques that are highly precise in assembling, observing and returning stem cells into the patient's body. The medical and technical team was able to assemble stem cells and provide them the necessary preparations treatments, and then transplanting the cells in the body within record time of 4 weeks.
Al-Shaibani notified that this achievement is dedicated to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz, the Crown Prince and the Second Deputy Premier as well as all the citizens and people of this region. This achievement shows scientific and practical qualification level, and specialized expertise of the medical team members. In addition to the proper preparation and planning and the utilization of advanced medical equipments and laboratories. Moreover, he expressed his appreciation to the Minister of Health Dr. Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz Al-Rabeeah for his continues supervision and efforts to improve the hospital and increase its performance level to serve the people of this area.
He added that this important step is one of many successful steps, which forms as a whole a qualitative improvement in the level of specialized health service. It has contributed directly in limiting travel among the kingdom looking for treatment. The hospital managed to treat 2500 new cancer cases since the beginning of providing cancer treatment, including 900 new cases during year 2009.
Chief Executive Officer stated that the hospital has accomplished a new achievement regarding transplant patients, where it successfully performed 105 organ transplantations. The transplantations included 89 kidney transplantations, 7 liver transplantation and 9 pancreas transplantations, in which King Fahad Specialist Hospital; Dammam is considered a pioneer in the Gulf region and the only hospital in the kingdom that is specialized in pancreas transplantation.
In the same context, blood diseases and stem cells transplant consultant, team leader and the medical supervisor of the two cases, Dr. Khaled Al Anzi clarified that the first step in treating myeloma is reducing the cancer amount in the patient by using a number of drugs combinations, followed by high doses of chemotherapy to eliminate cancerous cells, which effects blood-making natural cells. To repair this damage, doctors transplant stem cells to produce new blood.
President of organ transplant program, Dr. Ahmed AL Sagheer added that there are two types of stem cells transplant. The first one is self bone marrow transplant "the same patient ", and the second one is Allogeneic bone marrow transplant "from a recent donor".
Both of the transplant procedures were done in the first way, which is better than chemotherapy used in treating myeloma and help the patients to have a better life. He added that stem cells transplant is an important treatment for patients suffering from blood tumor diseases like leukemia, lymphoma, myeloma, whose health condition allows them to have this treatment . It's also used in hemoglobin disorders such as (sickle-cell anemia and thalassemia) and other genetic diseases.
Dr. Al-Sagheer clarified that the organ transplant program in King Fahad Specialist Hospital, Dammam provides integrated services to the patients, most notably the specialized medical service by a group of specialists to support the patients who need organ transplant in addition to providing special isolation rooms, and a highly qualified nursing group. He pointed out that all workers in the organ transplant specialty take scientific sessions and workshops in order to improve their capacities and be updated in their specialties.
King Fahad Specialist Hospital, Dammam is considered one of the medical cities that contribute effectively in implementing the strategy of the Ministry of Health to provide complex and advanced health services. That is within the framework of the national project for integrated and comprehensive health care. The project has recently received U.S JCI accreditation certificate and currently it is in the final stages to be recognized for its high-quality laboratories by the U.S. laboratory commission.