Riyadh: In a globally groundbreaking achievement, King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Centre (KFSHRC) in Saudi Arabia’s capital Riyadh has successfully performed the world’s first fully robotic heart transplant.
The transplant operation carried out on a 16-year-old patient suffering from end-stage heart failure on Thursday, September 12.
A two and a half-hour operation was performed by an exceptional medical team led by the head of cardiac surgery and director of the robotics and minimally invasive surgery program at KFSHRC, Dr Feras Khaliel, after weeks of preparation, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.
The process began with detailed theoretical planning to ensure precision and minimize potential risks.
The team devised a surgical approach to access the heart and perform the transplant without opening the chest of the patient.
Watch the video of transplant operation
To ensure the effectiveness of this approach, the team practiced the procedure virtually seven times over three days before carrying out the operation.
The successful heart transplant operation represents a significant advancement in the field, moving away from traditional chest-opening procedures that often require lengthy recovery periods.
The pioneering achievement, overcoming significant medical challenges associated with such procedures, reinforces Saudi Arabia’s leadership in healthcare, and highlights KFSHRC’s ability to innovate medical practices.
KFSHRC CEO Dr Majid Al Fayyad praised this achievement as a significant advancement in heart transplantation since the historic first heart transplant in the 1960s.
“The success of the world’s first robotic heart transplant marks a transformative leap, not only for our institution but also for Saudi Arabia’s journey toward global leadership in specialized medicine, in line with Saudi Vision 2030, which places innovation at the core of its efforts to improve quality of life,” he said.
He added, “This remarkable achievement would not have been possible without the unwavering support of the Kingdom’s visionary leadership, who have prioritized the development of the healthcare sector, paving the way for a transformative leap in healthcare services, unlocking new possibilities to elevate the quality of life for patients both locally and globally.”
In September 2023, KFSHRC performed the world’s first-ever fully robotic liver transplant on a 66-year-old Saudi male who suffered from non-alcoholic fatty liver (NASH) and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).
