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Saudi Surgeon Honored for Performing World’s First Fully Robotic Heart Transplant

Head of Cardiac Surgery and Director of the Robotics and Minimally Invasive Surgery Program at the King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Centre (KFSHRC) Professor Feras Khaliel - SPA
Head of Cardiac Surgery and Director of the Robotics and Minimally Invasive Surgery Program at the King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Centre (KFSHRC) Professor Feras Khaliel - SPA
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Saudi Surgeon Honored for Performing World’s First Fully Robotic Heart Transplant

Head of Cardiac Surgery and Director of the Robotics and Minimally Invasive Surgery Program at the King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Centre (KFSHRC) Professor Feras Khaliel - SPA
Head of Cardiac Surgery and Director of the Robotics and Minimally Invasive Surgery Program at the King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Centre (KFSHRC) Professor Feras Khaliel - SPA

Head of Cardiac Surgery and Director of the Robotics and Minimally Invasive Surgery Program at the King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Centre (KFSHRC) Professor Feras Khaliel was honored at the inaugural day of the Global Health Exhibition (GHE) with the Health Research Excellence: Applied Innovation Award in recognition for his exceptional contributions to advancing research, enhancing knowledge, and fostering innovation in healthcare.
The award also commemorates Khaliel's successful completion of the world’s first robotic heart transplant on a 16-year-old patient suffering from end-stage (Class IV) heart failure, SPA reported.

According to a KFSHRC press release, the center continues to set itself apart by providing innovative specialized healthcare services, particularly through its robotic heart surgery program that has experienced accelerated success since its establishment in 2019.
In its first year, the program performed 105 robotic heart surgeries, rising to 400 and culminating in its leadership in conducting the world’s first fully robotic heart transplant, a pioneering achievement that not only bolsters Saudi Arabia's standing in healthcare but also highlights KFSHRC’s ability to innovate medical practices that enhance treatment outcomes and patient experience.
KFSHRC’s robotic heart surgery program has introduced innovative cardiac procedures, such as robotic multi-valve surgeries and robotic aortic valve replacement. Additionally, it has integrated cutting-edge technologies related to mechanical circulatory support (MCS) systems, including ventricular assist devices (VADs), which aid the heart in pumping blood. These devices serve as either a bridge to heart transplantation or a permanent solution for patients who are not eligible for transplants. This has resulted in significantly improved patient outcomes with survival rates of up to 98%, recovery times reduced by 30%, and a reduction in blood transfusions, mechanical ventilation, and hospital stay by over 50% while cutting costs by 40% compared to traditional methods.
The program is renowned for performing robotic surgeries on a wide age range of patients, from 14 to 78 years old, and for its ability to handle complex, high-risk cases, including patients with severe obesity and those requiring repeat surgeries. Notably, the program excels in performing robotic surgeries on heart patients who have undergone three previous operations, a feat in which the KFSHRC has surpassed its counterparts in American hospitals.

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Rare Sahara Floods Bring Morocco’s Dried-up South Back to Life

Tourists camp on the shores of Erg Znaigui, a seasonal lake in the village of Merzouga in the Sahara desert in southeastern Morocco on October 20, 2024. (AFP)
Tourists camp on the shores of Erg Znaigui, a seasonal lake in the village of Merzouga in the Sahara desert in southeastern Morocco on October 20, 2024. (AFP)
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Rare Sahara Floods Bring Morocco’s Dried-up South Back to Life

Tourists camp on the shores of Erg Znaigui, a seasonal lake in the village of Merzouga in the Sahara desert in southeastern Morocco on October 20, 2024. (AFP)
Tourists camp on the shores of Erg Znaigui, a seasonal lake in the village of Merzouga in the Sahara desert in southeastern Morocco on October 20, 2024. (AFP)

In Morocco's southeastern desert, a rare downpour has brought lakes and ponds back to life, with locals -- and tourists -- hailing it as a gift from the heavens.

In Merzouga, an attractive tourist town some 600 kilometers (370 miles) southeast of the capital Rabat, the once-parched golden dunes are now dotted with replenished ponds and lakes.

"We're incredibly happy about the recent rains," said Youssef Ait Chiga, a local tour guide leading a group of German tourists to Yasmina Lake nestled amidst Merzouga's dunes.

Khalid Skandouli, another tour guide, said the rain has drawn even more visitors to the tourist area, now particularly eager to witness this odd transformation.

With him, Laetitia Chevallier, a French tourist and regular visitor to the region, said the rainfall has proved a "blessing from the sky".

"The desert became green again, the animals have food again, and the plants and palm trees came back to life," she said.

Locals told AFP the basin had been barren for nearly 20 years.

A man leads his camels along the shores of Yasmina lake, a seasonal lake in the village of Merzouga in the Sahara desert in southeastern Morocco on October 20, 2024. (AFP)

Last year was Morocco's driest in 80 years, with a 48 percent drop in rainfall, according to an October report from the General Directorate of Meteorology (DGM).

But in September, torrential rains triggered floods in southern parts of Morocco, killing at least 28 people, according to authorities.

The rare heavy rains come as the North African kingdom grapples with its worst drought in nearly 40 years, threatening its economically crucial agriculture sector.

Neighboring Algeria saw similar rain and flooding in early September, killing six people.

North African countries currently rank among the world's most water-stressed, according to the World Resources Institute, a non-profit research organization.

The kingdom's meteorological agency described the recent massive rainfall as "exceptional".

It attributed it to an unusual shift of the intertropical convergence zone -- the equatorial region where winds from the northern and southern hemispheres meet, causing thunderstorms and heavy rainfall.

The sun sets behind the dunes at Yasmina lake, a seasonal lake in the village of Merzouga in the Sahara desert in southeastern Morocco on October 20, 2024. (AFP)

- 'Climate change' -

"Everything suggests that this is a sign of climate change," Fatima Driouech, a Moroccan climate scientist, told AFP. "But it's too early to say definitively without thorough studies."

Driouech emphasized the importance of further research to attribute this event to broader climate trends.

Experts say climate change is making extreme weather events, such as storms and droughts, more frequent and intense.

In Morocco's south, the rains have helped partially fill some reservoirs and replenish groundwater aquifers.

But for those levels to significantly rise, experts say the rains would need to continue over a longer period of time.

The rest of the country is still grappling with drought, now in its sixth consecutive year, jeopardizing the agricultural sector that employs over a third of Morocco's workforce.

Tourists take pictures at Yasmina lake, a seasonal lake in the village of Merzouga in the Sahara desert in southeastern Morocco on October 20, 2024. (AFP)

Jean Marc Berhocoirigoin, a 68-year-old French tourist, said he was surprised to find Yasmina Lake replenished. "I hadn't seen these views for 15 years," he said.

Water has also returned to other desert areas such as Erg Znaigui, about 40 kilometers south of Merzouga, AFP reporters saw.

While the rains have breathed life into Morocco's arid southeast, Driouech warns that "a single extreme event can't bring lasting change".

But last week, Morocco's meteorological agency said such downpours could become increasingly frequent, "driven partly by climate change as the intertropical convergence zone shifts further north".