King Faisal hospital performs world’s 1st fully robotic heart transplant

King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Centre (KFSHRC) in Saudi Arabia’s capital Riyadh has successfully performed the world’s first fully robotic heart transplant that too without opening chest

[Ryan with his mother after the successful transplant. (Video grab)]

Riyadh: King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Centre (KFSHRC) in Saudi Arabia’s capital Riyadh has successfully performed the world’s first fully robotic heart transplant that too without opening chest.

The transplant operation carried out on a 16-year-old patient, Ryan,suffering from end-stage heart failure on Thursday, September 12.

The operation that lasted for two and a half-hour was performed by a 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 first successful fully robotic heart transplant was performed without the need to open the chest. A small incision of about 6 to 7 cm was made on the side between the ribs for the surgery”, Dr Feras Khaliel said.

[Dr Feras Khaliel, Head of Cardiac Surgery and Director of the Robotics and Minimally Invasive Surgery Program at KFSHRC, who led the operation. (Video grab)]

The doctors devised a surgical approach to access the heart and perform the transplant without opening the chest of the patient, and to ensure the effectiveness of this approach, the team practiced the procedure virtually seven times over three days before carrying out the operation.

The process began with detailed theoretical planning to ensure precision and minimize potential risks.

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 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,” Dr Khaliel said.

#التخصصي ينجح في إجراء أول عملية زراعة قلب كاملة بالروبوت على مستوى العالم pic.twitter.com/3g2IV51HWe

— مستشفى الملك فيصل التخصصي ومركز الأبحاث (@KFSHRC) September 12, 2024

“Alhamdulillah, the surgery was performed successfully, and now my son is with me here fully recovered”, patient Ryan’s mother said.

She said her son, Ryan, had specifically requested that his chest should not be opened and asked for the transplant to be done in any other way possible.

“Alhamdulillah, the doctors at King Faisal Hospital made it possible. I am so grateful”, she added.

King Faisal hospital had a year before performed the 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).

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