Saudi surgeon honoured for world’s first fully robotic heart transplant

Dr Khaliel, who serves as the head of cardiac surgery and director of the Robotics and Minimally Invasive Surgery Programme at King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre (KFSHRC), received the Health Research Excellence: Applied Innovation Award from the Research, Development and Innovation Authority.

The award was presented on Tuesday, October 22, during the Global Health Exhibition in Riyadh.

The groundbreaking robotic heart transplant took place in September and lasted approximately two and a half hours. The procedure was performed on a 16-year-old patient with end-stage heart failure, who specifically requested that the surgical team avoid opening his chest. This request led to the use of advanced robotic technology for the heart transplant, a first in medical history.

According to KFSHRC, one of the significant benefits of using robotic technologies for cardiac procedures is the ability to reduce recovery times and make surgeries less invasive, even for complex operations like heart transplants.

Robotic heart transplants also offer the potential to reduce complication risks and improve the patient’s quality of life, according to the hospital.

Dr Majid Al-Fayyadh, CEO of KFSHRC, emphasised the importance of this achievement, comparing it to the first heart transplants performed in the 1960s. He noted that this milestone aligns with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, which prioritises innovation as a key factor in improving the country’s quality of life.

Since its inception in 2019, the hospital’s robotic heart surgery programme has grown rapidly, successfully completing over 400 procedures.