SME-Written by/ Manal Abu Al-Ela
In a first of its kind worldwide, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center succeeded in performing the world’s first complete robotic heart transplant, for a patient under the age of sixteen, who suffered from fourth-degree heart failure, overcoming the medical challenges and complications that accompany this type of operation, in a qualitative precedent that enhances the position of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and its leadership in the field of healthcare, and highlights the ability of “Specialist” to innovate medical practices that enhance treatment outcomes and patient experience.
The operation took three hours, and was carried out by an exceptional medical team, led by the consultant cardiac surgeon and head of the cardiac surgery department, Saudi surgeon Dr. Firas Khalil, after weeks of preparations, starting with detailed theoretical planning to ensure accuracy, reduce potential risks, and innovate a surgical methodology to reach the heart, and complete the removal and heart transplantation process for the patient without cutting the rib cage, followed by its virtual application seven consecutive times over three days to verify the effectiveness of the innovative methodology.
After obtaining the approval of the hospital’s medical committee and the patient’s family, Dr. Firas Khalil began forming a medical team to complete the mission, making harmony and consistency among team members a priority. Before entering the operating rooms, the team leader provided a detailed explanation of the operation plan, accurately explaining the roles of each individual, ensuring the safety of the patient and the success of the operation. The achievement represents a qualitative shift in surgical practices for heart transplantation, from the rib cage incision that imposes a long recovery period on the patient extending for weeks and perhaps months, restricting him from practicing his simplest daily activities, to the use of robotic techniques that allow the operation to be performed with the least possible surgical intervention, which reduces pain, shortens the recovery period, and limits the possibility of complications, thus achieving a qualitative leap in improving the quality of life of patients and accelerating the recovery of their health. His Excellency the CEO of King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre, Dr. Majid Al Fayyadh, described this achievement as an important development in heart transplant operations since the historic moment the world witnessed when the first heart transplant was performed in the sixties of the last century, noting that “the success of the first heart transplant using a robot represents a transformation, not only in the path of the specialist, but also in the Kingdom’s path towards global leadership in specialized medicine, in line with Vision 2030, which places innovation at the heart of its efforts to improve the quality of life.” His Excellency added: “The qualitative achievement achieved today would not have been possible without the continuous support of our wise leadership – may God support it – which made developing the health sector a top priority, which paved the way for achieving a qualitative shift in the level of health services, and opened new horizons to improve the quality of life of patients locally and internationally.” The achievement comes within the framework of “the specialist’s” constant commitment to innovation in medical practices, and harnessing all capabilities; To improve treatment outcomes, patient experience, and operational efficiency, to be the ideal choice for every patient in the field of providing specialized healthcare, and to make its services available to a wider segment of beneficiaries.
Based on its role as a specialized training center in robotic organ transplant surgery, the hospital contributes to enhancing global understanding of minimally invasive organ transplant procedures, by cooperating with medical institutions around the world, to qualify their medical cadres in order to achieve better results within its efforts to advance medical practices globally.
It is noteworthy that King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center was ranked first in the Middle East and Africa and 20th globally, for the second year in a row, among the list of the top 250 academic healthcare institutions around the world, and the most valuable healthcare brand in the Kingdom and the Middle East, according to “Finance Brand” for the year 2024, and was also ranked in the same year among the top 250 hospitals in the world by Newsweek magazine.
