Saudi Gazette report

MAKKAH — A medical team in Makkah was able to save the life of a 90-year-old Indonesian pilgrim after he suffered from a ruptured bowel.

An urgent surgical intervention by a specialized medical team at Hira General Hospital, a member of the Makkah Health Cluster, saved the pilgrim, after he complained of severe abdominal pain with vomiting and the inability to eat.

It was found that the pilgrim had a rupture in the digestive system following the ultrasound medical tests, carried out by the accompanying Indonesian medical team.

Immediately, the patient was transferred to Hira General Hospital where he was diagnosed with blood poisoning as a result of a rupture in the duodenum. The patient was transferred to the intensive care unit where he underwent abdominal checks and procedures during which a 2-cm long gastrointestinal perforation was found in the anterior wall of the stomach. The GI perforation is a hole in the wall of part of the gastrointestinal tract.

The abdomen was cleaned of pus and the hole was closed. The pilgrim is now in good health and is convalescing before the beginning of the rituals of the annual pilgrimage of Hajj.