500-kg Egyptian woman lands in Mumbai, lifted by crane

Eman Ahmed, one of the heaviest women in the world weighing 500 kg, today landed here for weight reduction treatment at a local hospital and was lifted, along with the bed on which she laid while travelling, with the help of a crane.

"Eman (36), who travelled to India in an EgyptAir plane, landed at Mumbai international airport shortly after 4 AM and reached the Saifee hospital around 6 AM. The special bed on which she laid during the journey was hoisted with the help of a crane," doctors said.

She was transported by a fully equipped truck, which was followed by an ambulance and a police escort, to Saifee Hospital where a special room has been built for her.
 

The woman, who has not moved out of her house for 25 years, would be under observation for about a month before she undergoes surgery, doctors said.

She is currently under the care of a city-based bariatric surgeon Muffazal Lakdawala and his team of doctors. They have been treating bed-bound Eman for almost three months and took all necessary precautions for her transportation from Egypt's Alexandria, an aide to Lakdawala said.

"Transporting Eman to Mumbai was a challenging task keeping in mind the complexities of her case as she is a high risk patient who has not been able to move or leave the house for the last 25 years," doctors said.

Eman was accompanied by Aparna Govil Bhasker, an Advanced Laparoscopic and Bariatric Surgeon at Centre of Obesity and Digestive Surgery and Head of Department of Bariatric surgery at Saifee Hospital and Kamlesh Bohra, Senior Intensivist, Department of Critical and Intensive Care at the hospital.

"She, along with her sister Shaimaa Ahmed, arrived here early today. To prepare her for the flight, the team of doctors was in Egypt for the last 10 days to optimise the conditions for her travel.

"Given the fact that Eman is so heavy and had not moved for the last 25 years, she is at a high risk of pulmonary embolism and hence has been put on blood thinners to try and minimise the chances of such an eventuality during her transfer," doctors said.

A special bed was created by local Egyptian artisans in accordance to the safety measures as laid down by EgyptAir for her safe transport on ground and in the plane.

As a precautionary measure, the flight was furnished with all the equipment required in case of an emergency such as portable ventilator, portable defibrillator, oxygen cylinders, intubating laryngoscopes and other drugs.
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Meanwhile, Lakdawala said this evening that on her

arrival at the airport at about 4.30 AM, Eman was taken directly to Saifee Hospital trust in a truck with required safety precautions pertaining to her current health condition.

"A special bed/cot had been created for her safe transport on ground and in the plane and a crane had been arranged for her arrival outside the hospital, which helped lift the bed to the first floor of the hospital, where a room has been specifically designed for her," he said.

A dedicated team of doctors led by Lakdawala, bariatric surgeon, a cardiologist, a cardiac surgeon, an endocrinologist and a chest physician will extensively examine the patient for the next 48 hours which will help them determine the next steps in course of her treatment.

"Eman is currently under observation. Keeping in mind the complexities of the case, before any surgical intervention, she will need a series of medical tests to determine the next course of action," Lakdawala said.

"For the next 48 hours, doctors will be conducting a routine body check-up and will do a complete body profile test. They will also be doing a special gene study on the patient, for the 91 different types of genes isolated with obesity-related syndrome," he said.

"Moving forward, she may also need a couple of bariatric procedures at optimal times to achieve best results. There is an entire panel of doctors working hard to try and ensure that she recovers from her current ailments," Lakdawala said.