September 12, 2017; Ras Al Khaimah, UAE:  Persistent abdominal pain in women in postpartum stage could be a life-threatening sign if not addressed at the earliest, warn doctors at RAK Hospital. Citing the example of a recent surgery conducted at the hospital, Dr Anup Kumar Panigrahi, Specialist and Head of Department, Minimal Access Surgery, RAK Hospital, cautioned women to consult a doctor if such discomfort continues or becomes unbearable. 

 

A 24-year-old Omani woman (name withheld on request) who had delivered her baby two weeks ago, was rushed to RAK hospital from Oman, complaining of severe pain on the right side of her abdomen. She was also feverish and suffering from nausea and had been vomiting intermittently. Despite been given treatment in her home country, the patient continued to feel severe discomfort and had to be flown to the UAE for further medical intervention. 

 

“Ultrasound report at RAK Hospital revealed gall bladder inflammation, with fluid accumulation in the peritoneal cavity and around the chest,” explained Dr Panigrahi, while discussing the case, “Further laparoscopic findings suggested a pierced colon with the right side of her colon as pre-gangrenous. The patient immediately underwent surgery where the right side of her colon was removed, and then the remaining portion was attached to the small intestine. An opening was surgically created – also known as stoma – in the large intestine to allow faeces removal out of the body.

 

“Given the critical condition of the patient, the complicated surgery took almost six hours to complete. However, since it was a key-hole – or non-invasive – operation, the patient was able to recover quickly, and has plans of returning to RAK Hospital for the closure of stoma. This is the beauty of laparoscopic surgery which shortens the operation time with minimum blood flow, speeds up the recovery process, allowing patients to return to their normal routine earlier,” added Dr Panigrahi.

 

For women in postpartum stage, abdominal pain is generally common, since it indicates the uterus shrinking and contracting back to its normal size. However, if it continues for long durations and is accompanied by pain in right shoulder and back, tenderness over abdomen, nausea, vomiting and fever, this could be a sign of inflammation of the gallbladder.

 

Dr Raza Siddiqui, CEO Arabian Healthcare Group and Executive Director, RAK Hospital, said: “Once again, the surgical team at RAK Hospital has made the institution proud. In a life-and-death situation like this, it was extremely important to take speedy measures with least amount of discomfort, something we are adept at. The hospital’s reputation as a reliable messiah in emergency situations has spread far and wide; we have been receiving a number of cases that need urgent surgical attention from other countries as well”.

 

The patient thanked the RAK Hospital staff for the timely medical intervention.

 

A forerunner in conducting Minimal Access Surgeries, RAK Hospital’s laparoscopic department takes pride in its state-of-the-art technology and a skilled team that has conducted hundreds of surgeries, particularly on patients suffering from gallbladder, ruptured colon, appendicitis, Crohn’s disease, cancer, rectal prolapse and severe constipation as well as most gynaecological and many urological procedures.