An Emirati neurosurgeon has carried out leading-edge robotic spinal operation in Abu Dhabi, a first-of-its-kind procedure for the Middle East and Africa.
The operation by Dr Abdul Salam Al Belushi is the start of what is hoped will be wider use of robotic technology in UAE neurosurgery, with surgeons in the country trained in the technique.
For Dr Al Belushi himself, undertaking the work in his home nation is a major milestone after 25 years spent training and practicing as a neurosurgeon in the US.
“This is the first place in the entire Middle East and Africa where this surgery has been conducted [and] by an Emirati neurosurgeon,” he said.
You cannot beat the feeling of a life-transforming surgery for a patient now able to carry out a normal life who would have otherwise lived the life of a paraplegic
Dr Abdul Salam Al Belushi
Rather than carrying out the operation freehand, surgeons carrying out robotic surgery are assisted by robots that help them place pedicle screw instruments, which are metal objects used during minimally invasive spinal surgery, “exactly where they belong”.
There are many advantages to robotic surgery, Dr Al Belushi said, including precision, lower rates of complications, less bleeding, quicker recovery, shorter hospital stays and a reduced likelihood that additional operations will be needed.
“It’s the next iteration of minimally invasive spinal surgery, which is transforming the world of spinal surgery,” said Dr Abdul Salam, who began carrying out robotic surgery in 2018.
“It’s a humbling opportunity for me to represent my country at the highest level and to see the leadership of the country embracing technology available in very few countries in the world, to make it available to the Emirati and the local population.”
Dr Al Belushi, a fellow of the American Society of Neurosurgeons, said he wished to express his “sincere gratitude” to President Sheikh Mohamed for his “generous support in making history” in Abu Dhabi.
“The vision of the leadership is to set the highest standard of health care, and allow others in the region and from far to seek the UAE as a healthcare hub and to embrace medical tourism,” he said.
Ultimately, Dr Al Belushi, who studied and worked for 16 years in the US to become a neurosurgeon and has been working as a consultant neurosurgeon in the US since finishing his training, hopes to move back to the UAE full time and to train surgeons here to carry out robotic surgery.
He moved to the US when he was 18 to complete an undergraduate degree in Kentucky and medical school in Ohio.
He undertook a one-year medical internship at Cleveland Clinic in Ohio before six years of neurosurgery training at the University of Louisville, followed by a fellowship at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.
He lives in Dallas, Texas and carries out about 450 surgeries a year at several hospitals in the area.
About 85 per cent of his work is spinal surgery and around 15 per cent brain surgery, and his patients have ranged in age from 17 to 90 years.
While the training to become a neurosurgeon is long and demanding, Dr Al Belushi said the work was highly rewarding as it offered the chance to transform lives.
For example, a women in her 20s who had been in a car accident and whose legs were paralysed from a spine fracture was able to regain complete function as a result of a highly risky and complex operation carried out by Dr Al Belushi.
“You cannot beat the feeling of a life-transforming surgery for a patient now able to carry out a normal life who would have otherwise lived the life of a paraplegic,” he said.
As well as pioneering the use of robotic surgery in the UAE, Dr Al Belushi is also looking to use stem cell therapy to help regenerate spinal discs, which are pads between the vertebrae, in people with lumbar disc disease, where the discs bulge out from the spine.
Stem cells, which are produced by bone marrow, have yet to turn into any particular specialised type of cell. They can be injected into the discs of the spine to repair damage from disease.
Dr Al Belushi is thankful to Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak, Minister of Tolerance and Co-existence, for his support in the future use of stem cell therapy in the UAE.
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Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
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Game 1: Warriors 124, Cavaliers 114
Game 2: Warriors 122, Cavaliers 103
Game 3: Cavaliers 102, Warriors 110
Game 4: In Cleveland, Sunday (Monday morning UAE)
The years Ramadan fell in May
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The bio
Favourite book: Peter Rabbit. I used to read it to my three children and still read it myself. If I am feeling down it brings back good memories.
Best thing about your job: Getting to help people. My mum always told me never to pass up an opportunity to do a good deed.
Best part of life in the UAE: The weather. The constant sunshine is amazing and there is always something to do, you have so many options when it comes to how to spend your day.
Favourite holiday destination: Malaysia. I went there for my honeymoon and ended up volunteering to teach local children for a few hours each day. It is such a special place and I plan to retire there one day.
THE BIO
Favourite place to go to in the UAE: The desert sand dunes, just after some rain
Who inspires you: Anybody with new and smart ideas, challenging questions, an open mind and a positive attitude
Where would you like to retire: Most probably in my home country, Hungary, but with frequent returns to the UAE
Favorite book: A book by Transilvanian author, Albert Wass, entitled ‘Sword and Reap’ (Kard es Kasza) - not really known internationally
Favourite subjects in school: Mathematics and science
'Saand Ki Aankh'
Produced by: Reliance Entertainment with Chalk and Cheese Films
Director: Tushar Hiranandani
Cast: Taapsee Pannu, Bhumi Pednekar, Prakash Jha, Vineet Singh
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Bio Box
Role Model: Sheikh Zayed, God bless his soul
Favorite book: Zayed Biography of the leader
Favorite quote: To be or not to be, that is the question, from William Shakespeare's Hamlet
Favorite food: seafood
Favorite place to travel: Lebanon
Favorite movie: Braveheart
Europe’s rearming plan
- Suspend strict budget rules to allow member countries to step up defence spending
- Create new "instrument" providing €150 billion of loans to member countries for defence investment
- Use the existing EU budget to direct more funds towards defence-related investment
- Engage the bloc's European Investment Bank to drop limits on lending to defence firms
- Create a savings and investments union to help companies access capital
Racecard
5.25pm: Etihad Museum – Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (Turf) 1,200m
6pm: Al Shindaga Museum – Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (Dirt) 1,200m
6.35pm: Poet Al Oqaili – Handicap (TB) Dh95,000 (T) 1,400m
7.10pm: Majlis Ghurfat Al Sheif – Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (D) 1,600m
7.45pm: Hatta – Handicap (TB) Dh95,000 (T) 1,400m
8.20pm: Al Fahidi – Rated Conditions (TB) Dh87,500 (D) 2,200m
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10.05pm: Al Quoz Creative – Handicap (TB) Dh95,000 (T) 1,000m
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La Mer lowdown
La Mer beach is open from 10am until midnight, daily, and is located in Jumeirah 1, well after Kite Beach. Some restaurants, like Cupagahwa, are open from 8am for breakfast; most others start at noon. At the time of writing, we noticed that signs for Vicolo, an Italian eatery, and Kaftan, a Turkish restaurant, indicated that these two restaurants will be open soon, most likely this month. Parking is available, as well as a Dh100 all-day valet option or a Dh50 valet service if you’re just stopping by for a few hours.
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Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
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Test
Director: S Sashikanth
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The biog
Favourite Emirati dish: Fish machboos
Favourite spice: Cumin
Family: mother, three sisters, three brothers and a two-year-old daughter
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252 projectors installed on Al Wasl dome
13.6km of steel used in the structure that makes it equal in length to 16 Burj Khalifas
550 tonnes of moulded steel were raised last year to cap the dome
724,000 cubic metres is the space it encloses
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The size of 16 tennis courts and weighs as much as 500 elephants
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