A 63-year-old man has made a full recovery after undergoing emergency laparoscopic surgery at Zulekha Hospital Dubai for a perforated bowel that had triggered a severe intra-abdominal infection.
Michael Antony Nawaraja was brought to the hospital’s Emergency Department late at night with intense abdominal pain and symptoms pointing to a serious underlying condition. Medical staff moved quickly to assess him, with blood tests showing sharply raised inflammatory markers and an urgent CT scan revealing a perforated sigmoid colon along with contamination inside the abdominal cavity, a finding that signalled a life-threatening emergency requiring immediate surgical action.
Dr Alan Haso, Consultant General Surgeon at Zulekha Hospital Dubai, said “the combination of severe pain, infection markers and scan results left no doubt that the patient was facing a serious abdominal emergency needing urgent attention. Doctors diagnosed the patient with perforated sigmoid diverticulitis, a condition in which an infected pouch in the lower large intestine ruptures, creating a hole in the bowel wall. Left untreated, the condition can quickly escalate into severe sepsis and other life-threatening complications.”
A multidisciplinary team, including emergency physicians, radiologists, anaesthesiologists, surgeons, nursing staff and critical care specialists, coordinated a rapid diagnosis and treatment plan. The patient then underwent emergency laparoscopic surgery to remove the damaged section of bowel and bring the infection under control.
Dr Haso noted that the main challenge was treating an actively infected, perforated bowel while still using a minimally invasive technique, adding that completing the procedure laparoscopically despite the complexity was especially satisfying. Laparoscopic surgery carries several benefits over traditional open procedures, including smaller incisions, less postoperative pain, fewer complications at the wound site, and quicker recovery with shorter hospital stays. Subsequent histopathological testing confirmed perforated diverticulitis with inflammation and abscess formation, and ruled out cancer.
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Dr Haso stressed that acting quickly made a critical difference to the outcome, noting that early diagnosis and swift surgery allowed the medical team to bring the infection under control rapidly and support a stronger recovery.
The patient was discharged in stable condition without major complications and has since returned to his normal routine. Reflecting on his experience, Nawaraja said he had not realised how serious his condition was when he arrived at the Emergency Department in severe pain, and credited the prompt treatment and surgery for his faster than expected recovery, expressing gratitude for the care he received.
The case underscores the importance of seeking immediate medical help for persistent or severe abdominal pain, as early evaluation can prevent complications and often allow for less invasive treatment with a quicker path to recovery.
