The Pakistani youth suffered a massive stroke and fell in the bathroom of his room
Dubai: A 27-year-old Pakistani youth has survived a massive stroke and bleeding in the brain after undergoing a life-saving surgery at a private hospital in Dubai. He was repatriated to Pakistan in June after spending around seven months in the hospital.
A construction worker, Nadeem Khan, was found unconscious in the bathroom of his room by his friends in November 2021. His friends rushed him to Aster Hospital, Qusais, in a taxi.
“The accident occurred around 1 am in the night. Nadeem had gone to the bathroom, and we heard a big sound. We knocked on the door, but there was no response. We pushed open the door to find him lying unconscious on the floor,” said Inzamam, a friend.
Experiences fits en route to the hospital
Despite the attempts of his friends to wake him up, Nadeem lay unconscious. “We got scared. We carried him down to the ground floor and rushed to the hospital in a taxi. En route to the hospital, Nadeem suddenly experienced fits and continued for more than 20 minutes. There was frothing in his mouth, and his body became tight. We were all scared,” recalled Inzamam.
By the time they reached the hospital, Nadeem was in an agitated state. At the emergency department of Aster Hospitals, the medical team managed to stablize him and swiftly subjected Nadeem to a series of tests to diagnose the cause.
The CT scan revealed that he had suffered a massive stroke causing bleeding in the brain. He had to undergo complex brain surgery to save his life. 
Right side paralysis
Nadeem was operated on by Dr. Chelladurai Hariharan, specialist neurosurgery at Aster Hospital, Qusais. According to the doctor, he had suffered a massive stroke affecting the left side of his brain, causing bleeding in the organ.
“When we inquired with his friends, they told us that Nadeem had complained of weakness of his lower limbs a few days ago. That probably could have been the sign of what was coming. If Nadeem had come to the hospital then, he would not have to go through this painful journey,” said Dr. Hariharan.
“In the hospital, he presented with hypotension (low blood pressure), tachycardia (faster heart rate), and tachypnea (rapid breathing). Apart from the damage to the brain, he had pulmonary embolism, a blood clotting in his lung as well. We rectified the damage to the brain first and then treated him for pulmonary embolism,” added the doctor.
Half skull stored in his abdomen
The surgeon had removed half of his skill around the affected area of the brain. It would allow the brain to ease the pressure and blood flow after the stroke. As it would take longer to heal, the doctor had kept the skull in his abdomen.
According to Dr. Hariharan, the skull cannot be outside for a longer time. Inside the abdomen, the blood saturation would help in preserving it. 
Seven months in hospital
Though the surgery saved his life, Nadeem’s right side was in paralysis. He had to be in the ICU for a long time to treat his pulmonary embolism. In the ICU, Nadeem was cared by Dr. Chaitanya Prakash Prabhu, specialist critical care medicine at Aster Hospital, Qusais.
Once his condition improved, he was shifted to Aster Hospital, Sonapur, for long-term care. He stayed in the hospital for about six months before being repatriated to Pakistan in June. The Pakistan consulate has supported in repatriating him.
Thank you for saving our brother: Brother
Nadeem’s family said they are grateful to the doctors and the team at Aster Hospital for saving his life.
“Nadeem has reached home safely. We were worried for him. He can now speak and remembers all of us. He is weak and needs support to move his right side of the body. But we are now confident that his health will gradually improve following physiotherapy. We are thankful to all the doctors, nurses, and the officials of Pakistan consulate in supporting us so generously. We will always be indebted to them for their kind act,” he added.
