8-month old Emirati girl becomes youngest in Middle East to receive heart transplant
Donor heart was transported from deceased donor in Dubai to hospital in Riyadh
Abu Dhabi: An infant Emirati girl who is less than eight months old has become the youngest patient in the Middle east to successfully receive a heart transplant, the King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre in Saudi Arabia has announced.
The girl received a donor heart from a deceased donor in Dubai.
In a statement, the Riyadh-based hospital said the girl had been in critical condition, and her heart failure had necessitated the need for temporary artificial pumps. She had been monitored in intensive care while awaiting the transplant.
Collaborative effort
The transplant required highly qualified professionals, advanced medical infrastructure, and international logistical support and cooperation, the hospital added. The Saudi Centre for Organ Transplantation, the Saudi Ministry of Defence’s aeromedical evacuation team, and UAE’s National Organ Donation and Transplant Committee played instrumental roles in facilitating the travel and logistics between Dubai and Riyadh.
Following the surgery, the patient’s condition has been improving steadily, the hospital confirmed. Its organ transplant centre is the largest in the Middle East, and has performed over 431 heart transplants since its establishment in 1988.