A teenager has made a full neurological recovery from a serious traumatic brain injury following a course of emergency surgery and intensive care at Sheikh Khalifa Medical City (SKMC), part of SEHA, the healthcare arm of PureHealth, the largest healthcare group in the Middle East.

The patient was thrown from his bicycle and sustained a significant head injury. A CT scan showed bleeding on the right side of his brain, both beneath and above the brain’s protective membrane. As pressure inside his skull rose, doctors placed him on a ventilator and administered sedation and muscle relaxants to stabilise his condition.

Click here to join our WhatsApp channel here

The next day, surgeons carried out an operation to remove part of his skull on the right side, easing pressure on the brain. The procedure, combined with the severity of his injury, led to further complications, including a leak of cerebrospinal fluid and related infections, which required sustained monitoring and treatment.

Medical teams later performed a tracheostomy to support his breathing and inserted a lumbar drain to manage the fluid leak. Once his condition stabilised, surgeons carried out a cranioplasty to rebuild the section of skull that had been removed.

Also read: Your Skin Has a Number Now, and It’s Not Your Age

The teenager has since shown marked improvement, with his Glasgow Coma Scale score rising to 11 out of 15, indicating a meaningful return of consciousness. He is now able to communicate and has moved on to the rehabilitation stage of his recovery.

Dr Musaab Ali Al Ramsi, chairman of the department of critical care medicine at SEHA Sheikh Khalifa Medical City, said “Cases of this severity depend on coordinated input from several specialities. Treating severe traumatic brain injuries requires a multidisciplinary approach and specialised care,” he said, adding that the team was pleased with the patient’s progress and remained focused on supporting his ongoing rehabilitation.