The African Medical Centre of Excellence (AMCE) has carried out its first open-heart operation, completing a coronary artery bypass graft on a 59-year-old patient with severe coronary artery disease, the hospital confirmed.
According to the medical centre, the patient was evaluated after undergoing coronary angiography at AMCE, where doctors identified multivessel disease and additional complications, including impaired left ventricular function, peripheral vascular disease and a previous stroke. An urgent bypass procedure was approved following assessment by the cardiovascular team.
AMCE said the patient completed pre-operative evaluation before undergoing the coronary artery bypass grafting. The surgery was successful, and the patient was transferred to the intensive care unit for monitored recovery.
Senior members of the hospital’s cardiovascular unit led the procedure, including Mohamed F. Ibrahim, Clinical Director of Cardiovascular Services, and Ihab Ali, Lead Consultant Cardiovascular Surgeon.
The centre noted that it is equipped to handle complex cardiac interventions such as emergency and minimally invasive cardiac surgery, aortic surgery, electrophysiology, device implantation, valvular surgery, adult congenital procedures and advanced diagnostic imaging.
AMCE is a tertiary-level, multi-specialty medical institution located in Abuja, developed by Afreximbank in partnership with King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, London. The centre officially began operations on 5 June 2025.
At present, AMCE offers 170 beds, with a planned expansion to 500 beds in later phases.
The hospital is designed as a comprehensive specialist facility with key services across oncology, haematology, cardiovascular care and general medical and surgical disciplines.
The success of this first major cardiac surgery at AMCE offers a proof-of-concept for the centre’s capacity to handle complex cardiovascular cases. If AMCE builds on this achievement with sustained quality, it could reshape perceptions about the viability of advanced tertiary care in Nigeria.
