A 9-year-old girl in Saudi Arabia has been given a new lease on life thanks to a heart transplant from a brain-dead donor in the UAE. This transplant was one of three performed at the King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre within a span of 24 hours, showcasing extraordinary coordination and speed.
The young girl, who had been battling heart muscle weakness and had an artificial pump implanted in March 2023, was awaiting a donor heart to improve her condition. The donor was identified through a coordinated effort between the Saudi Centre for Organ Transplantation and the UAE’s National Program for Donation and Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues (Hayat).
According to a Khaleej Times report, a specialized medical team from Riyadh flew to Abu Dhabi, where they successfully removed the heart from the donor at Cleveland Hospital. The heart was then transported by a private flight to Riyadh, where it was transplanted into the girl. She is now under close observation and receiving follow-up care.
The same day, two more heart transplants were performed. A 40-year-old man received a heart from a donor in Jeddah, and a 41-year-old man, who also had an artificial pump implanted in 2023, received a heart from a donor in Riyadh. Both surgeries were successful, and the patients are currently undergoing medical follow-ups.