Heart Attack Patient ‘Died’ Multiple Times Before Making Full Recovery

Adel’s story is remarkable. The 59 year old was rushed to the Emergency Department at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi with chest pains. He then took a turn for the worse. He went into cardiac arrest, he lost his pulse and stopped breathing.

The team began CPR and multiple rounds of Advanced Cardiac Life Support, which included chest compressions and defibrillator shocks. Adel’s heart was restarted but he then went into cardiac arrest again. This happened a total of 10 times, something the team had never witnessed before.

Adel was in a critical condition, but thanks to the expert team of specialists within the Heart, Vascular & Thoracic Department, his condition was stabilized and he was taken to the cardiac catheterization laboratory where doctors placed a stent in the blocked artery, and also inserted an intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP) to help his weakened heart pump blood.

Thanks to the combined efforts of teams in the Emergency Department, Heart, Vascular & Thoracic Institute, Anesthesiology Institute and Critical Care and nursing staff. Adel went from the brink of death to sitting up and talking to his family in a number of days and was well enough to go home within two weeks.