A medical team at King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center (KFSHRC) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia has made history by completing the world’s first fully robotic heart transplant.
The groundbreaking procedure, which took two and a half hours, was performed on a 16-year-old patient with end-stage heart failure.
One of the reasons this patient was selected was because he had specifically asked the surgeons not to open his chest.
The cardiac team, led by Dr. Feras Khaliel, practiced the surgery seven times over three days to be prepared.
One of the key benefits of using robotic technology in heart transplants is the reduction in recovery times. According to KFSHRC, the minimally invasive nature of robotic surgery allows patients to heal faster and face fewer complications. The hospital also noted that robotic transplants could improve a patient’s overall quality of life.
“This remarkable achievement would not have been possible without the unwavering support of our visionary leadership,” said KFSHRC CEO Majid Al Fayyad. He compared the achievement to the first heart transplants in the 1960s, noting how this leap could elevate healthcare services globally.
The patient is now recovering, with no signs of significant complications.
With this historic surgery, Saudi Arabia has taken a bold step forward in medical innovation, potentially transforming how heart transplants are performed worldwide.
