A16-year-old young man with end-stage heart failure made a risky request of his surgical team while awaiting a heart transplant: Do not crack open his chest! The heart team at King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, Saudi Arabia, strove to comply.
Online publication Cardiovascular Business reports that Surgeon Feras Khaliel, MD, PhD, first practiced for three days, with seven sessions to develop the procedure. When the heart became available, everything was performed robotically. It was reported by VF colleague Christopher Simmonds that the heart was implanted through a 6-7-inch incision in the patient's side. The young man is recovering well.
