Consultant Vascular & Endovascular Surgeon, Adjunct Clinical Associate Professor
Mediclinic Middle East, Welcare, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Biography

Mr Mekki Medani was born in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. He entered RCSI in 2001 and qualified with an honours degree in 2006. To date he has had an illustrious undergraduate and postgraduate career and been awarded several medals including the RCSI McLean Gold Medal for Surgery, The Beaumont Hospital Desmond Lyons Memorial Medal for Proficiency in Surgery and the Beaumont Hospital Robert M'Donnell Surgical Medal. He entered Basic Surgical Training in 2007, completed an MD by thesis in 2011, and entered the higher Surgical training scheme in 2013. During training he completed the MRCS in 2009 and FRCSI in 2018 Mr Medani was attracted early on to the specialty of vascular surgery. The required combination of medical knowledge and technical skills, the diversity and acuity of interventions, and the variety of specialities collaborated with, made vascular surgery an easy career choice. During postgraduate and fellowship training he developed an interest in thoracic outlet syndrome. Thoracic outlet syndrome is a notoriously challenging syndrome with debilitating effects on a mainly young and otherwise healthy population of patients. Many Irish patients with this syndrome were previously referred abroad for definitive treatment. Recognising this deficit in the Irish health care setting, Mr Medani completed an international fellowship at University of Toronto. The focus of the fellowship was on this syndrome. During the fellowship he trained under Professor Mohammed Al Omran, one of the leading international figures in the management of thoracic outlet syndrome. Prior to commencement of his fellowship, Mr Medani successfully competed for a consultant vascular surgical position in the University of Limerick Hospital Group in 2019. Shortly after taking up the post he developed the first Irish service to focus on the management of thoracic outlet syndrome. He developed pathways for vascular laboratory-based and radiological assessment, intensive physiotherapy, pre-operative assessment, and post-operative care. The surgical management of thoracic outlet syndrome is an intricate surgery involving removal of the first rib and attached muscles. Next, adhesions to the surrounding subclavian artery and vein, and brachial plexus, are meticulously divided. All the while, the phrenic nerve, long thoracic nerve, and pleura of the lungs are carefully protected. The service developed by Mr Medani now provides a quaternary referral pathway for patients with thoracic outlet syndrome throughout Ireland. During his career to date Mr Medani has also pioneered the usage of intravascular ultrasound for peripheral arterial disease and novel atherectomy devices. A graduate and Fellow of RSCI, Mr Medani is a true shining light in Irish surgery. Within a short few years has already raised the bar in terms of new service development and delivery.