JUBAIL: The medical team at the Royal Commission for Jubail Hospital recently succeeded in extracting about 1,500 ml of fluid from around the heart of a 70-year Saudi woman.

The patient was suffering for four years from shortness of breath, lethargy and constant pain around her heart. The fluid around her heart was detected following advanced medical tests on the woman with the help of audio imaging heart device.

The medical team, headed by Dr. Munawar Al-Majnooni, cardiologist consultant, successfully conducted an operation and extracted the fluid.

Al-Majnooni said, “The accumulated fluid resulted from a lack of thyroid hormone and were found between the pericardial membrane surrounding the heart and the layer adjacent to the heart muscle.”

He confirmed that it is normal to find about 50 ml of fluid between the two membranes to reduce their friction, but if the amount of fluid exceeds this level, there is a negative effect on the heart muscle.

Al-Majnooni praised the quality of the cardiac unit devices at the RCJ hospital that helped in the speedy diagnosis of the patient’s condition and treatment.

The cardiac unit, which was launched in 2015, is equipped with the latest equipment to treat heart attacks, conduct diagnostic and therapeutic catheter for the coronary arteries, balloon dilatation and installation of pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical struts, in addition to treating patients with diverticulitis of the coronary arteries.