المملكة: A global precedent.. “KFSH&RC” implants an artificial heart pump with a robot

The operation was supervised by a specialized medical team led by consultant Dr. Firas Khalil, Head of the Cardiac Surgery Department at King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre.

Surgical superiority

The results showed a significant superiority of robotic surgery over the traditional approach, as it was characterized by reducing side effects resulting from thoracotomy, and reducing the rate of complications and stress on the patient’s body.
The operation reduced the patient’s stay in intensive care to only four days, compared to an average of 26 days for traditional operations that require a large incision in the chest, with a long recovery period of up to 63 days.
With this innovative technology, the patient is expected to be discharged from the hospital within just ten days.
The patient did not experience any infection or bleeding during or after the operation, which reflects the superior accuracy provided by the use of the robot in surgical operations, and confirms the effectiveness of this approach in improving the patient’s experience and reducing health risks.

Advanced medical solutions

Dr. Majid Al-Fayad, CEO of the hospital, stressed that this achievement is an important step in providing advanced medical solutions that redraw the boundaries of what is possible in the field of health care.
He added that the hospital succeeded in achieving a delicate balance between bold innovation and applying the highest safety standards, which contributes to strengthening the Kingdom’s position as a global reference in medical innovation.
Al-Fayad pointed out that this achievement confirms the Kingdom’s commitment to achieving Vision 2030, which aims to raise the quality of life and enhance the level of health care.
He explained that the hospital is moving forward in providing safe and effective treatment experiences that contribute to significantly improving patients’ lives.
This operation is an extension of a series of medical successes and innovations recorded by King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre.
Earlier, the hospital was able to perform the first natural heart transplant using a completely robot in the world, as well as the first liver transplant using a robot, achievements that received extensive local and international media coverage.

Medical innovation

These successes reflect the hospital’s commitment to providing specialized health care based on the latest international technologies, which enhances its leadership in providing innovative solutions at the health sector level.
The medical achievements achieved by King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center come as part of the initiatives of the Health Sector Transformation Program, one of the main programs of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 launched by His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Crown Prince and Prime Minister – may God protect him.
These initiatives aim to enhance the quality of health care provided to citizens and residents, and make the Kingdom a global model in medical innovation.
King Faisal Specialist Hospital continues to strengthen its global position, as it was ranked first in the Middle East and Africa, and twentieth in the world for the second year in a row, on the list of the best 250 academic health care institutions in the world, according to the “Brand Finance” classification for the year 2024, and it was also included in the list of The best smart hospitals in the world for the year 2025, according to “Newsweek” magazine.
This unique medical achievement not only reflects the hospital’s commitment to providing the best standards of health care, but also confirms the position of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as a leading country in the field of medical innovation in the world, and its pivotal role in providing advanced medical solutions that contribute to improving the lives of millions.