Abu Dhabi Knee and Sports Medicine Centre UAE

Specialising in the treatment of patients with knee and sports related injuries, the Abu Dhabi Knee and Sports Medicine Centre (ADKSMC) was the first healthcare facility of its kind in the UAE and Middle East. Providing patients with state-of-the-art healthcare based on accepted international standards and evidence-based medicine, the Centre became fully operational in January 2007 with a staff of 20. Established by Mubadala Development Company in 2006, the Centre forms part of Mubadala Healthcare’s integrated network of world-class facilities. ADKSMC has performed over 1,200 surgical procedures, of which 850 were anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) knee reconstructions. Since the incidence of ACL injuries in the UAE is estimated to be five times that of European countries and North America, ACL injuries represent a significant healthcare problem for the UAE. Dr Charles Brown, Medical Director, ADKSMC shares his insight on the Centre’s activities.

How is the ADKSMC fulfilling its vision to create a Centre of Excellence dedicated to improving the lives of patients with knee and sports related injuries?
In contrast with most of the hospitals and clinics in the region which treat many different types of medical problems, ADKSMC was established to specialize in treating patients with knee and sports related injuries. With a focus to deliver cost effective, state-of-the art treatment based on the latest internationally accepted evidence- based medicine, a dedicated medical staff has been trained to care exclusively for patients with these conditions. The second focus of our Centre is education. Our surgeons and physical therapists are actively involved in teaching and the Centre hosts visiting surgeons who come to learn the latest techniques in knee surgery. To date we have hosted visiting surgeons from the UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Libya, Iran, South Africa, Belgium, Sweden, Norway, Iceland and the UK. We are also actively involved in teaching at regional and international medical education courses. As part of its outreach program, the Centre also trains athletic trainers and physical therapists for several of the UAE Sports Clubs in the latest treatment methods for athletic injuries. Members of our medical staff have pioneered many of the current surgical techniques practiced globally and have published numerous articles and book chapters in the field of knee ligament surgery.

Musculoskeletal allograft tissue is invaluable in the treatment of patients with failed knee ligament surgery and those requiring reconstruction of more than one knee ligament. In 2007, the Centre installed a -80º freezer for storage of allograft tissue imported from tissue banks in the United States certified by the American Association of Tissue Banks, making it the first healthcare facility in the UAE and Middle East to offer the option of allograft tissue to its patients. Previously, allograft tissue was only available to patients in the UAE by traveling to USA or a few European countries. Since its establishment, the Centre has performed over 50 operations requiring the use of allograft tissue. Recognized for its innovative pain management program and state-of-the art ACL reconstruction surgical techniques developed by its Anesthesia Department and Medical Directors, the Centre has hosted visiting surgeons from Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Yemen, Egypt, Libya, South Africa, Belgium, Norway, Sweden, Norway, and the UK who came to learn more about these techniques.

What initiatives are you planning in order to assist in positioning Abu Dhabi as a hub for health tourism? What role does the ADKSMC hope to play in this development?
Together with Dr. Nader Darwich, Deputy Director, ADKSMC, anesthesiologists Dr Ahmad Ahmad and Dr Ahmad Taha, and experienced physical therapists David Baston and Azzam Kamal we aim to provide the best cost effective care to the people of the UAE. We are confident that once patients from abroad discover that our Centre is capable of providing them with the same quality and same types of treatment offered in Europe, the USA or other countries such as Thailand and Singapore - which promote themselves as preferred destinations for health tourism - they will choose us over these other destinations.

Can you outline any groundbreaking treatments currently available at ADKSMC please?
ADKSMC pioneered the use of musculoskeletal allograft tissue in the Middle East and GCC. Musculoskeletal allograft tissue is invaluable in the treatment of patients with failed ligament surgery and patients requiring reconstruction of more than one knee ligament. Previously, allograft tissue was only available to patients regionally and in the UAE by travelling to the USA or selected European countries. Since becoming fully operational in 2006, we have performed over 50 operations using allograft tissue. The availability of allograft tissue allows ADKSMC to be one of the few facilities in the region specializing in the treatment of patients with failed knee ligament operations, and patients with complex multiple ligament injuries. ADKSMC is also the only Centre in the region offering a comprehensive pain management programme for patients undergoing surgery. Managed by our Anesthesia Department, our pain management programme minimizes the patients’ pain after surgery and allows for earlier mobilization and rehabilitation minimizing surgical morbidity.

Dr. Charles Brown, Medical Director
A respected international teacher responsible for developing multiple specialised techniques and instruments currently used by orthopedic surgeons world-wide, as well as the author of over 48 abstracts, book chapters and scientific articles; Dr. Charles H Brown Jr., is an Orthopaedic surgeon certified and recertified twice by the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery, specializing in the treatment of knee ligament injuries. Dr. Brown is also a member of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, and the American Orthopaedic Society of Sports Medicine. An internationally recognized authority on the treatment of knee ligament injuries and complex knee problems, he completed his orthopaedic training at the Harvard Combined Orthopaedic Training Program in Boston, Massachusetts. Dr. Brown was a staff orthopaedic surgeon at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts and a Clinical Instructor at Harvard Medical School from 1991, until leaving to become Medical Director of ADKSMC in January 2006. Dr. Brown is a pioneer in the use of hamstring tendon grafts for anterior cruciate ligament surgery and has published numerous articles and given lectures worldwide on this topic.

Dr. Nader Darwich, Deputy Medical Director
Dr. Darwich is a consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon who received his medical degree from the Faculty of Medicine, Damascus University, Syria in 1983 and did his post graduate orthopaedic training in France where he practiced orthopaedics until December 1995. Dr. Darwich is holder of the French Board in Orthopaedics and trauma surgery since 1992 from the Faculty of Medicine, Nancy University, France. He is sub-specialized in arthroscopic surgery, knee ligament reconstruction and sports injuries. Dr. Darwich invented a device for the distal interlocking in the intramedullary nailing. This helps the operating surgeon to avoid exposure to operating at the point of distal locking. Dr. Darwich is currently licensed with the French Medical Council, British Medical Council (Full Registration), MD with the Syrian Ministry of Health and Orthopedic Surgeon with the Syrian Ministry of Health.