A woman, who recently woke up from a nine-month coma is ready to go back to the Philippines to see her children after undergoing treatment and physiotherapy at Rashid Hospital.
Perlite Almonte, 35, was first admitted to the hospital on April 18, 2015 after she was found unconscious in the bathroom of her house, Gulf News reported.
Dr. Zeyad Al Rais, Head of Critical Care Department at Rashid Hospital, reportedly said Almonte fell into a coma because of intracerebral hemorrhage, a life-threatening type of stroke caused by bleeding within the brain tissue.
“Perlite suffered from an intracerebral hemorrhage due to aneurysmal bleeding,” Al Rais was quoted as saying.
An aneurysm is a balloon-like bulge or weakening of the arterial wall, Dr Al Rais explained. As the bulge grows, the arterial wall becomes thinner and weaker. It can become so thin that the blood pressure within can cause it to burst or leak, the report said.
Most aneurysms develop from a weakness or abnormal artery wall. In most cases, they show no symptoms and can go unnoticed.
“Perlite underwent a surgical intervention to drain the blood. Due to the critical location of the bleeding, the respiratory and hemodynamic functions were affected, and she was kept on a ventilator for more than two weeks, hence the decision was taken to perform tracheostomy, which helped her to gradually be weaned off the mechanical ventilation. We also started early physiotherapy to enhance her muscular power, while she was in coma,” Al Rais explained.
Almonte reportedly gained consciousness sometime in January 2016, nine months after being admitted. It was then that Dr Al Rais was able to start intensive active physiotherapy and put in place a neurological rehabilitation plan.
“Now, after nine months on being comatose on ventilator with tracheostomy tube, I am happy to say that the patient is fully conscious,” Al Rais was quoted as saying.
Almonte’s neurological state is also stable. She has been successfully weaned her off the ventilator and regained some of her motor skills. She can now walk with people’s help, said the news portal.
“I have spent over a year and nine months at Rashid Hospital, I now consider the doctors and nurses at the hospital my family. I am truly thankful for the treatment I have received at Rashid Hospital. I am glad that I am recovering and I can’t wait to go to the Philippines to see my children,” the mother of two, who used to work as a supervisor in a courier company, reportedly said.
Al Rais reportedly said Rashid Hospital has one of the most equipped and specialized critical care departments in the UAE, adding that the hospital has a high success rate in treating patients similar to Almonte’s case.
“We are now working on an intensive rehabilitation plan for Perlie. Our aim is to make her independent as much as possible so that she can lead a regular life,” Gulf News quoted Al Rais as saying.
