- The King Abdullah Medical Complex (KAMCJ) successfully saved two dangerous cases involving pilgrims during the Hajj rites in 2024.
- The patients, an Egyptian pilgrim in his 60s and a Tunisian pilgrim in his 40s, suffered from acute pneumonia and needed an extracorporeal membrane oxygenation life-support machine.
- KAMCJ's medical and nursing staff are extensively trained in the use and monitoring of the life-support device, and the Intensive Care Department is equipped with sophisticated medical devices and technologies.
Jeddah, June 18, 2024. The King Abdullah Medical Complex (KAMCJ), part of the Second Jeddah Health Cluster, successfully saved two dangerous cases. These incidents involved an Egyptian pilgrim in his 60s and a Tunisian pilgrim in his 40s. Air ambulances transported both of these patients from hospitals located at holy sites. As the head of the intensive-care department and consultant in adult critical care and internal medicine at KAMCJ, Dr. Mahdi Othman revealed that an air ambulance transported the first case, involving an Egyptian pilgrim aged 62, from Jabal al-Rahma Hospital. Mina Emergency Hospital received the second case, involving a 48-year-old Tunisian pilgrim. Both pilgrims suffered from acute pneumonia during the Hajj rites that took place in 1445 AH, which ultimately led to their inability to breathe.
They needed an extracorporeal membrane oxygenation life-support machine, so the critical care unit admitted them for thorough medical care and close monitoring until they stabilized and recovered. As Dr. Othman continued his explanation, he said that the device functions as an artificial heart or an external lung, providing support for the organs of the patients until their therapy is over. Installing the device typically involves placing a blood catheter in one of the central veins, typically located in the thigh or neck. Subsequently, tubes transport the blood from the body to the apparatus, ensuring its delivery of oxygen, elimination of carbon dioxide, and subsequent return to the body. Furthermore, KAMCJ's medical and nursing staff have received extensive training in the use of the extracorporeal membrane oxygenation life-support device, as well as its installation and close monitoring of patients in intensive care. Sophisticated medical devices and technologies equip the Intensive Care Department at KAMCJ.
