Burjeel Abu Dhabi case flags 3 clinic checks for rare pancreatic clots

Burjeel Hospital Abu Dhabi has treated a 49-year-old woman for rare venous ischaemic pancreatitis after several months of abdominal pain and constipation, a case that matters first to UAE clinics because delayed referral can turn a vague digestive complaint into an emergency admission.

The highest-value readers are COOs, medical directors and insurer medical-approval teams. For Dubai operators under the Dubai Health Authority (DHA), the lesson is triage discipline and documentation. For Abu Dhabi providers regulated by the Department of Health Abu Dhabi (DOH), it is referral speed and claims evidence. For Sharjah, Ajman, Ras Al Khaimah, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain clinics regulated by the Ministry of Health and Prevention (MOHAP), it is the same pathway: persistent upper abdominal pain, constipation and back radiation should trigger a same-day escalation plan.

What happened in Abu Dhabi

Gulf Today reported on 8 October 2026 that the patient attended Burjeel Hospital Abu Dhabi after new abdominal pain persisted for three to four days and became severe. The patient had earlier received multiple treatments for intermittent pain and constipation over several months.

“When the pain became intense and persistent, she presented herself to the Emergency Department. By then, she was in significant distress, with severe predominantly upper abdominal pain radiating to the back,” Dr. Niyas Khalid, internal medicine specialist at Burjeel Hospital Abu Dhabi, told Gulf Today.

The diagnosis was venous ischaemic pancreatitis, described by Dr. Khalid as rare and under-recognised. Imaging showed acute thrombus in pancreatic veins. The blood markers were counterintuitive: amylase was 22 U/L and lipase was 18 U/L, lower than clinicians would usually expect in acute pancreatic injury. The team excluded gallstone disease, high triglycerides, high calcium, pancreatic malignancy, autoimmune pancreatitis, major inherited thrombophilias, antiphospholipid syndrome and myeloproliferative disorders.

The patient had undergone two bariatric procedures. Dr. Khalid told Gulf Today that the surgeries could not be named as the sole cause, but were a clinically relevant possible contributor because bariatric surgery can be associated with changes in blood flow, dehydration, rapid weight change, abdominal pressure and a prothrombotic environment. Initial treatment used low-molecular-weight heparin, followed by an oral anticoagulant. Gulf Today reported that she resumed normal daily activity and requires long-term anti-clotting therapy with regular vascular follow-up.

Why clinics and insurers should care

For clinics, this is a referral-risk story. A patient with constipation and abdominal pain may first present to a GP, family medicine clinic, gastroenterologist, urgent-care unit or bariatric follow-up clinic. The practical threshold is simple: severe upper abdominal pain that radiates to the back, lasts beyond 24 hours, or follows bariatric surgery should be treated as a same-day hospital assessment, rather than another routine constipation visit.

• Clinic operations: update triage scripts for abdominal pain, prior bariatric surgery and red-flag back radiation.
• Medical directors: audit whether low or normal amylase and lipase can falsely reassure clinicians when imaging and symptoms point elsewhere.
• Insurers: require clear pre-authorisation notes for CT, MRI or vascular imaging, including symptom duration, prior bariatric history and failed initial treatment.
• Patients: ask whether the treating facility can manage emergency imaging, anticoagulation and vascular follow-up in the same network.

Cash prices for UAE emergency evaluation, abdominal CT, MRI/MRCP and anticoagulation follow-up vary by hospital, emirate, room class and insurer network. Clinics should not quote an estimate from memory. The actionable step is to request a written estimate that separates consultation, emergency fee, imaging, laboratory tests, pharmacy and follow-up. Insured patients should ask Daman, Thiqa, Sukoon or their own payer whether the hospital is in network and whether advanced imaging needs prior approval. Eligibility is plan-specific.

What Dubai and northern emirates providers should do next

Dubai providers should make sure the visit record, imaging order, medication list and discharge plan are available through NABIDH, DHA’s health information exchange. Abu Dhabi providers use Shafafiya for DOH data exchange and claims workflows. MOHAP-regulated providers in the northern emirates should keep the same clinical pack ready for referral: symptoms, duration, prior abdominal surgery, basic labs, imaging performed and insurer details.

The business implication is modest but real. Clinics do not need to build rare-pancreatitis programmes. They need to reduce missed escalation. A one-page pathway for persistent abdominal pain after bariatric surgery is enough for most outpatient settings. It should name the receiving hospital, the insurer approval desk, and the clinician responsible for calling the patient back within 24 to 48 hours after referral.

Patients and operators should verify licensed UAE providers before booking. The UAE Open Healthcare Directory lists licensed clinics, hospitals, pharmacies and diagnostic providers across Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and the northern emirates, with records anchored to DHA, DOH Abu Dhabi and MOHAP source registers.