RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, Nov. 13, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — His Royal Highness Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman received the Saudi medical team that performed the world’s first fully robotic heart transplant at his office in Riyadh on Wednesday.

The medical team from King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Centre (KFSHRC) of Riyadh had successfully performed the world’s first heart transplant using a robot on a 16-year-old patient suffering from end-stage heart failure in September 2024. The transplant procedure, which took two and a half hours, was performed by an exceptional medical team led by renowned Saudi cardiac surgeon Dr. Feras Khaliel, who is head of Cardiac Surgery and director of the Robotics and Minimally Invasive Surgery Program at KFSHRC, following weeks of meticulous preparation.

KFSHRC Chairman Mazen Al-Rumaih, CEO Dr. Majed Al-Fayyadh, and Deputy CEO Dr. Björn Zoega attended the meeting with His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.

During the reception, the Crown Prince congratulated the medical team and the leaders of KFSHRC on the historic achievement, praising the Saudi team’s competencies and their ability to innovate and achieve an unprecedented feat internationally in the medical field, which contributes to enhancing human health in the Kingdom and the world.

It is noteworthy that KFSHRC has been ranked first in the Middle East and Africa and 20th globally in the list of the world’s top 250 Academic Medical Centres for the second consecutive year and recognized as the most valuable healthcare brand in the Kingdom and the Middle East, according to the 2024 Brand Finance rankings. Additionally, in the same year, it was ranked among the world’s best 250 hospitals and included in the World’s Best Smart Hospitals list for 2025 by Newsweek magazine. For more information, visit www.kfshrc.edu.sa or contact our media team at mediacoverage@kfshrc.edu.sa

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/f04d5393-ce93-4c0a-bb0e-08cbcc881232