The Saudi Ministry of Health stated that the medical staff at the Heart Center in King Abdullah Medical City in the Holy Capital were able to save the life of the head of the Iranian medical mission during the Hajj season, Muhammad Reza Gholamreza Refatiani, following he suffered a heart attack while performing the Hajj rituals.
The Saudi Health said: Rifati, who is 60 years old, and did not suffer from chronic diseases, felt chest pains while working with the medical mission, and as a result he was transferred to Ajyad Hospital, and then to King Abdullah Medical City as a life-saving case. Doctors subjected him to a first catheterization procedure that succeeded in opening the posterior left coronary artery, which was widened and stented.
After doctors noticed that Rifati’s pain persisted, he was subjected to a second catheterization process to expand the left anterior coronary, remove the stenosis he suffers, and place a stent using the latest advanced technology represented by video technology for coronary arteries.
The consultant cardiologist at King Abdullah Medical City, Doctor Muhammad Al-Ateen, pointed to the effectiveness of the emergency system to serve the pilgrims, which was able to quickly transfer Rifati to the hospital following the appearance of symptoms of a severe heart attack, adding that the case was dealt with at a record speed, which contributed to Saving the life of the Iranian pilgrim.
Dr. Al-Ateen stressed the health system’s keenness to abide by the directives of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and His Highness the Crown Prince – may God preserve them – to provide the best medical services in accordance with the highest international standards for all citizens and visitors of the Kingdom, especially the pilgrims, whom the Kingdom is honored to embrace and care for.
For his part, Refati thanked the Saudi medical staff who oversaw his treatment, praising the quality of medical services provided to pilgrims and the level of health care he received in the various stages of treatment, including catheterization and stent placement. Refati left the hospital following his health condition improved.
It is noteworthy that the Saudi Ministry of Health, through hospitals and health centers in Makkah Al-Mukarramah, Arafat, Muzdalifah, Mina, Jamarat and Taif, provided health services to more than 93,229 pilgrims. Kidney, 10 laparoscopic operations, and more than 250 surgeries, while the Virtual Health Hospital provided services to more than 2,200 pilgrims remotely.