Saudi Arabia’s King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Centre (KFSH&RC) has performed 400 robotic cardiac surgeries with 98% survival rate since program initiation in February 2019, the hospital reported.
The Robotic Cardiac Surgery Program at KFSH&RC, which started in February 2019, completed 105 robotic procedures in its first year. Since the inception of robotic surgeries in 2003, the hospital has expanded its services to include a variety of specialties such as general surgery, cardiology, urology, and transplants.
This program has gained international recognition. According to American Global Medical Surgical Robotics (GMSR), KFSH&RC has performed the highest number of robotic heart surgeries outside of the United States and is ranked among the top five globally. It is also acknowledged as the second-best program worldwide for robotic aortic valve replacement (AVR).
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The hospital reports that using robotics instead of conventional surgical techniques has led to better patient outcomes. Robotic surgery has reduced the need for blood transfusions and time spent on mechanical ventilation. Additionally, robotic procedures have cut the duration of hospital stays by more than 50%, resulting in a 40% reduction in costs.
While robotic surgery can decrease the overall cost of patient stay, studies have indicated that the cost of performing surgery with a robot can be over 50% higher compared to open surgery due to the cost of instruments.
