Riyadh: A 7-year-old Saudi boy, Faisal, has been given a new lease on life after receiving a heart transplant from a brain-dead donor in Abu Dhabi, marking a remarkable story of cross-border medical collaboration.
Born with a complex congenital heart defect, Faisal had been struggling with advanced heart failure. Conventional treatments, including medications, respiratory support, and pacemaker implantation, failed to stabilise his condition, leading to his placement on the urgent transplant list.
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The life-saving operation was successfully carried out on Thursday, August 21, at King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre (KFSHRC) in Riyadh. The hospital confirmed that the transplant followed full regulatory approval and the consent of the donor’s family.
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نجح "التخصصي" بالرياض في زراعة قلب لطفل سعودي، بعد استئصاله من متبرع متوفى دماغياً في إمارة أبوظبي، ونقله عبر الإخلاء الطبي إلى الرياض، وذلك بالتنسيق مع المركز السعودي لزراعة الأعضاء وبرنامج "حياة" للتبرع وزراعة الأعضاء والأنسجة البشرية في الإمارات.— مستشفى الملك فيصل التخصصي ومركز الأبحاث (@KFSHRC) August 21, 2025
The donor heart was transported from Abu Dhabi to Riyadh in close coordination with the UAE’s National Programme for Organ and Tissue Donation and Transplantation (Hayat) and the Saudi Centre for Organ Transplantation.
The complex procedure required meticulous planning, including organ extraction, rapid air transport, and preparation of the operating theatre, all executed within the critical five-hour window necessary for successful heart transplantation.
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“Every minute counts in heart transplants,” the hospital noted, emphasising the importance of swift and precise coordination to save patients with no other treatment options.
KFSHRC’s Heart Center, renowned for pioneering surgeries such as the world’s first fully robotic heart transplant and robotic artificial heart pump implantation, played a pivotal role in the operation. The hospital is ranked first in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) and 15th globally among top academic healthcare institutions in 2025. It is also recognised among the world’s leading smart hospitals.
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