A study conducted by the team in the neonatal ICU in King Abdulaziz National Guard Hospital – Al-Ahsa won the 2nd place in the 9th Annual Conference of Premature Babies. The conference was held at King Faisal Specialist Hospital and the Research Center, Riyadh. The study compared between the premature infants in King Abdulaziz National Guard Hospital, Al-Ahsa from 2003 until 2008 and one of the ICU units in the USA.
H.E. Dr. Bandar Al Knawy, the CEO of the NGHA and the President of King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for the Health Sciences said: “This result only adds to the achievements that the NGHA accomplished under the guidance of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz and it’s a natural result of the continuous evolution we are seeing in this field.”
Dr. Al Knawy stressed that: “The study presented in the forum was in strong competition with six other advanced scientific studies that included important statistics and information which took a lot of effort from the work team to prepare. It reflected their scientific enthusiasm. We at the NGHA always promote studies and research derived from our belief of their importance and how they contribute in enriching the professional life in general and medical life in particular.”
Dr. Ahmad Al-Arfaj, the Executive Regional Manager of the NGHA in the Eastern province said: “The study won the 2nd place and Dr. Ayman Abo Mohram the 2nd researcher who presented the paper received a special award from the neonatal research chair in King Saud University – Riyadh. The team included Dr. Kamal Dablah, Dr. Moustafa Al-Aghbari and Dr. Mariam Al-Aamri.”
Dr. Sameer Al-Abdi, the head of the medical team who prepared for this study and a pediatric ICU consultant said: “The study started with a database prepared in 2007 that contained detailed and accurate information about every infant, his weight, sex and cause of death. The study summarized that the rate of premature infants that survived and those that didn’t perfectly matched the results of the ICU units’ network in America. This shows the advanced level of our pediatric ICU.”
In a study that was the first of its kind, infants that weighed 1500 grams and less in Al-Ahsa were compared to infants that survived and had complications due to premature labor. Dr. Al-Abdi said: “The study highlighted a number of important aspects such as monitoring the infants for longer periods, up to six years and more. We should establish a Saudi network like the one in America. Also, there is a great need for accurate statistic charts that show the rate of infant growth in the Kingdom as well as further studies that support this area.”
The same medical group had achieved a similar accomplishment when they got the 3rd place in the 1st International Neonatal Conference in NGHA-Jeddah. They had submitted a study that compared between infants with folate-deficiency anemia and infants who don’t have this disease.
According to Dr. Al-Abdi , the study concluded that: “The infants suffer from jaundice since birth and need more time to be treated by phototherapy. We require a future study to finish the current one we have. Examining folate-deficiency anemia in the umbilical cord should be mandatory for all infants in regions where this type of disease usually presents itself such as Al-Ahsa and Al-Qateef.