World's Heaviest Woman Undergoes Successful Surgery

The heaviest woman in the world just underwent a successful bariatic surgery, a last resort operation for an obese person.

Eman Ahmed, 37, was airlifted to Saifee Hospital in Mumbai last February to prep her up for the bariatric surgery. New York Post said the plane used for Ahmed was modified with safety gear, like a portable ventilator and defibrillator.

Ahmed previously weighed around 498 kilos. Her weight has left her confined in her home in Egypt for two decades.

Upon arrival at the hospital, Lakdawala's team put Ahmed immediately on a special liquid diet to be able to operate. According to Times of India, a laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy was performed after she lost nearly 120 kilos.

"Her parameters were looked good and we didn't want to miss that window. We still can't believe we pulled it off uneventfully. It's a big day for India, not just our team," surgeon Dr. Muffazal Lakdawala, who is leading Ahmed's treatment, told the news agency.

"Additionally we removed her gall bladder as it had stones and could have created trouble later," he added.

CNN said Ahman had suffered from thyroid problems since she was a child. But she gained weight further after suffering from a stroke which made the matters worse.

"The future course of action for the medical team working on her will be to correct all her associated medical problems, to get her fit enough to fly back to Egypt as soon as possible," the hospital said in a statement.

Because her weight has left her immobile, Ahmed has also been previously diagnosed with diabetes, high blood pressure, hypertension and sleep deprivation.

The lifesaving surgery was made possible by her sister, who contacted Lakdawalan in October. She also set up a funding page for Ahmed to finance her surgery.

The Star reports that her request for an Indian visa was initially denied, but was granted after tweeting a plea for help directly to India's foreign minister.