SKMC Hits 2,500 Paediatric Cardiovascular Surgery Milestone

Hospital’s Paediatric Cardiac Program Sets Global Benchmark for Treatment of Country’s Residents of All Backgrounds;

“If We Can Save Lives, We Will, No Matter the Complexity of Surgeries,” Says SKMC’s Dr. Aref Al Shehhi, Deputy CEO

Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates: Abu Dhabi’s Sheikh Khalifa Medical City hospital is setting a global benchmark for excellence in the treatment of the country’s paediatric congenital heart disease surgery cases, says its Deputy CEO, after the completion of its milestone 2,500th surgery this past summer.

Most SKMC paediatric cardiovascular surgeries average 3.5 hours in duration, require a multidisciplinary team of physicians, and, are above average in complexity.  Of the eight to 10 paediatric cardiovascular surgeries performed each week at SKMC, some can be quite complex, lasting up to 18 hours in duration and requiring extensive planning pre-operation.

40 percent of the patients treated are younger than 30 days old, with two thirds of the total patient population fewer than six months old.  Over the next few decades, many of those same patients will be seen and treated as adults.

“SKMC is committed to putting patients first, regardless of the emirate in which they are a resident, and irrespective of their race, nationality, or socioeconomic status.  If our world-class, pioneering physicians can save lives, they will, no matter how complex the surgeries may be.  We believe we are setting a global benchmark for the treatment of the country’s paediatric cardiac patients,” says Dr. Aref Al Shehhi, Deputy CEO of SKMC, which is managed by Cleveland Clinic and is a part of the SEHA HealthSystem.

SKMC’s Paediatric Cardiology Program, begun in April of 2007, acts as a referral centre for the entire region, with patients coming from all seven emirates of the country as well as outside of the UAE, to benefit from its internationally-recognized standards of excellence.

The institutional set-up consists of a paediatric cardiac operating room, Paediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Unit (PICU), a High Dependency Unit (HDU), the paediatric wards and auxiliary service of a paediatric cardiac catheterization laboratory, non-invasive cardiology and outpatient clinics.

The paediatric cardiac surgery team at SKMC is composed of paediatric cardiac surgeons, paediatric cardiologists, and intensive care and anaesthesia physicians, all of whom are experts with international recognition in their professions.

“We have always worked as a team at SKMC, like a 12 person orchestra.  Every day we are saving lives and improving the ongoing quality of life of our patients with congenital heart disease, some of whom are only hours old,” says Dr. Laszlo Kiraly, Consultant and Division Head, Paediatric Cardiac Surgery at SEHA flagship hospital. 

Dr. Alawi Alsheikh-Ali, consultant cardiologist and cardiac electrophysiologist at SKMC, and Chair of Cardiac Sciences Institute added: “We regularly perform complex surgeries that would otherwise have to be performed overseas at great risk to the patients, as well as cost to the government.  The paediatric cardiac centre here at SKMC has completely removed those burdens while acting as a tremendous source of pride for the entire hospital and SEHA system.”