Doctors perform surgery to save Nigerian woman with ‘intestines hanging out’ of body

A Nigerian woman suffering from a life-threatening condition has been treated at a hospital in Ras Al Khaimah in UAE after allegedly being refused surgery in Nigeria, 7daysindubai reports...

Victoria Odita was rushed to RAK Hospital in critical condition as a result of an incisional hernia in her abdomen, which caused her intestines to hang out of her body.

It’s thought the hernia developed following Odita’s four caesarian sections, which left her abdominal wall very weak and eventually allowed her intestines to push through. Doctors at RAK Hospital performed complicated surgery that saved her life.

The 37-year-old had suffered from abdominal swelling for years before realising she had a large hernia in her abdomen. When the swelling increased following her fourth pregnancy six months ago, she sought medical help, but was denied treatment in Nigeria because of the extreme severity of her condition.

“She was rejected treatment in her own country and had been suffering with immense pain for the past six months,” said Dr Parvez Ahmad, a specialist surgeon at RAK Hospital who operated on Odita. “She was a high-risk case and a challenge for any surgical team. An immediate operation was performed to repair the incisional hernia and alleviate the symptoms.”

Parvez explained the condition is quite common after multiple abdominal surgeries. However, he said Odita’s situation was made worse because her heart pumping capacity was only 25 per cent, which in normal person should be more than 60 per cent.

“A person who gains significant weight after abdominal surgery, becomes pregnant or lifts heavy objects is most at risk for an incisional hernia,” said Dr Anup Panigrahi, head of the minimal invasive surgery department at RAK Hospital. “The incision is weakest, and most prone to a hernia, while it is still healing.

“It is not only a female problem; both the sexes should be aware that anybody who has had one or many abdominal surgeries is at risk of developing an incisional hernia.”