A 43-year old Indian security guard working in Sharjah regained his leg movement and bladder control after undergoing an emergency surgery for Acute Cauda Equina Syndrome, helping him overcome his abrupt onset of severe back pain which was so excruciating that he could barely stand up.

Abdul Majeed, working as a security guard in Sharjah, had been experiencing frequent back-pains for some time, for which he used to occasionally take pain-killers. However, one recent morning, he woke up with severe back pain. Soon the back pain increased, gradually extending to his left leg. An alarming fact was that along with the pain, he also had difficulty in passing urine.

Abdul Majeed visited a hospital, where he was given an injection for pain relief. However, the pain persisted, and he visited yet another hospital, which gave him another couple of injections. When the pain wouldn’t go away, he visited Thumbay Hospital Day Care in Rolla, Sharjah, where they referred him to Thumbay Hospital, Ajman.

At Thumbay Hospital – Ajman, Abdul Majeed consulted Dr. Hillol Kanti Pal, Consultant – Neurosurgery. During preliminary investigations, it was revealed to the doctor that the patient hadn’t passed urine for more than 48 hours. After detailed clinical examinations, Dr. Hillol diagnosed his condition as Acute Cauda Equina Syndrome, an uncommon disorder that affects the bundle of nerve roots (called Cauda Equina) at the lower end of the spinal cord. The Cauda Equina, when severely compressed, results in loss of sensation in the private parts with weakness at the ankle, also affecting bladder and bowel functions. In Abdul Majeed’s case, his Cauda Equina had been compressed by a large disc hernia at his lumbar spine.

Failure to diagnose Cauda Equina Syndrome early on can lead to serious complications including permanent paralysis of the muscles of one or both legs as well as permanent loss of bladder/bowel control. Usually, when the Cauda Equina is affected in a patient acutely as in his case, it has to be operated on within 48 hours of onset for maximal recovery.

When Abdul Majeed consulted Dr. Hillol, it was almost 72 hours after the onset of weakness and numbness of his left ankle and loss of bladder function. So, Dr. Hillol decided to go for immediate surgical intervention. The surgery, which lasted 2 hours, took out the disc which was compressing the Cauda Equina.

“Surgical decompression within 48 hours of diagnosis is an emergency step for treating Cauda Equina syndrome effectively. Delay in surgical intervention could result in permanent loss of bladder control and the need for indwelling catheter, seriously impacting the employment prospects of patients like Abdul Majeed,” said Dr. Hillol, explaining the importance of early detection and treatment.

Abdul Majeed not only regained the sensation and power of his left ankle and could pass urine on his own, by the time of discharge from hospital.

GMU has signed an MOU with CUCA to cooperate in the fields of Higher Education, Technology and Research to better utilize the resources available at their respective premises and to contribute to the economic and social development of United Arab Emirates.

Professor. Hossam Hamdy – Chancellor of Gulf Medical University, participated and represented the University with his lecture on Future of Medical Education on April, 27th -28th 2019, at The 2nd AMEE in China Conference “Sun Yat-sen International Forum on Medical Education” at Guangzhou, China.

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About Gulf Medical University

Gulf Medical University (GMU) established in 1998 is a leading medical university in the Gulf region. GMU offers Medical and Health Professional Education in the field of Medicine, Dentistry, Pharmacy, Physiotherapy, Nursing, Medical Laboratory Sciences, Anesthesia & Surgical Technology, and Medical Imaging Sciences. GMU offers postgraduate programs in Toxicology, Public Health, Clinical Pathology. In addition, the university also offers Short Term Certificate Courses for Health workforce development and career enhancement. GMU differentiates itself having its own network of hospitals, clinics, and institutes.

GMU competed with top universities of Asia to be shortlisted in two of the most fiercely contested higher education award categories

Gulf Medical University (GMU) – Ajman, the leading medical university in the Middle East region was shortlisted in two award categories at the Times Higher Education Asia Summit 2019, competing with 80 top universities from 21 countries in Asia. GMU was shortlisted in the ‘Technological Innovation of the Year’ and ‘Leadership and Management Team of the Year’ categories. Other leading universities shortlisted in various categories included the National University of Singapore, Zhejiang University, Yonsei University, University of Kirkuk, Asian Institute of Management, etc.

Prof. Hossam Hamdy the Chancellor of GMU said that being shortlisted in two top categories of the prestigious Times Higher Education awards demonstrated the hard work and vision with which GMU is pursuing the goal of achieving excellence in medical education and research. “We were selected in the ‘leadership’ category due to the unique Academic Health System we have developed at GMU, integrating academia with healthcare. At the same time, our selection in the ‘technological innovation’ category was for our innovative use of Artificial Intelligence in medical education, creating a virtual patient. This Virtual Patient Learning (VPL) created by GMU is the only patient simulation with high fidelity and authenticity,” Prof. Hossam Hamdy explained. GMU had recently been recognized as the ‘Best Medical Education University’ at Forbes Middle East Higher Education Awards 2019.

With 6 colleges and 26 accredited courses, GMU has risen to the forefront of medical universities in the Middle East region, becoming the biggest of its kind. GMU’s futuristic curriculum and training methodology, tie-ups with leading international universities, world-class facilities and its successful establishment of the first private academic health system in the region have consolidated its position one of the most popular destinations for state-of-the-art medical education, attracting student applications in large numbers from over 80 countries every academic year.

GMU has unique academic programs to its credit. GMU’s recently launched College of Healthcare Management and Economics is a unique, specialized college of healthcare management and economics which aims to prepare the graduates to pursue careers in healthcare management, health economics, policy-making and administration in the region and internationally. The first full-fledged college of its kind in the Middle East region, it offers a four-year bachelor’s program and a 12-month executive master’s program designed to respond to the constantly growing health industry. The programs are offered in collaboration with leading international universities – the University of Milan, University of Arizona, American University of Cairo, University of Central Florida, etc. The college is a member of the European Healthcare Management Association.