Emirati doctor saves European footballer from life-threatening heart artery rupture

A medical team in Dubai, led by Emirati doctor Dr Abdulla Al Hajri, a Consultant Cardiologist & Interventionalist, succeeded in saving a professional football player in his early thirties from a European club after he suffered a severe heart attack resulting from a rare medical condition that threatened his life.

The player was visiting Dubai when he felt sudden and severe chest pains, so he was taken to a hospital in Dubai, where the medical team dealt urgently with the case as soon as it arrived at the emergency department.

Al Hajri explained that medical examinations and accurate diagnosis showed that the player was suffering from a rare condition known as arterial rupture, which is one of the rare conditions that might lead to severe life-threatening strokes and serious complications.

This condition is very rare globally, as artery rupture accounts for no more than 1 per cent of all heart attack cases and men are less susceptible to it than women, he said.

The case is strange because the patient is a professional athlete with high physical fitness, he added, noting that athletes rarely suffered such strokes, but some great physical and psychological pressures could sometimes cause damage to the artery that supplied the heart.

Such cases are often difficult to diagnose because their symptoms are similar to other types of heart attacks, but the medical team was able to diagnose the case accurately and in record time, which helped them intervene speedily and save the patient’s life, he said.

An urgent catheterisation procedure was performed on the player, during which a drug-eluting stent was implanted inside the damaged artery to restore normal blood flow to the heart, he added.

The patient’s condition stabilized after the operation and he was currently under medical care and close attention in preparation for the recovery phase to be completed, he said.

Al Hajri pointed out that the rapid response of the ambulance teams, early diagnosis, and immediate medical intervention played a crucial role in saving the player’s life and preventing serious complications that could have affected his life and sporting future.