Surgery | King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Centre

The Surgery Department comprises of highly skilled surgeons with extensive experience in treating a wide range of diseases and complex cases requiring tertiary care and surgical intervention. The department treats around 5,000 patients per year for cancer, vascular diseases, congenital diseases, pediatric surgical conditions and oncology, lung transplantation, and plastic and reconstructive surgery. It has pioneered in latest treatment modalities, such as laparoscopic colorectal surgery, pediatric morbid obesity surgery, lung transplant, and use of sentinel lymph node biopsy for breast cancer staging.

Subsections:

The Surgery Department consists of seven sections with sub-specialties:

Breast and Endocrine Surgery

The Breast and Endocrine section at KFSH&RC is the main tertiary referral centre for the whole Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The majority of the cases treated are tertiary and complex surgical cases. We have the largest volume of both Breast and Endocrine cancer patients in the country.

The section provides the state-of-the-art surgery to all patients in a timely accepted manner. There are five experienced Breast and Endocrine surgeons at the section. They manage and treat more than 800 Breast and Endocrine patients every year.

A short hospital stay is applied at our section and our patients are taken care of during admission by a group of highly experienced nursing staff.

All types of surgeries are performed with excellent outcomes. This includes:

Breast conservative surgery and modified radical mastectomy.
Sentinel lymph node biopsy and axillary dissection.
Oncoplastic Breast Surgery.
Skin Sparing Mastectomy and Nipple Sparing Mastectomy.
Intra-operative radiotherapy as a sole therapy or as a boost.
Thyroidectomy
Parathyroidectomy
Adrenalectomy
Lymph node excional biopsy
Neck dissection
Re-do- thyroidectomy

There are six surgical clinics throughout the week and seven full day operative rooms per-week. Surgical ground rounds and a Breast tumor multidisciplinary conference is conducted every week.

Colorectal Surgery

The goal of the Section of Colon and Rectal Surgery at King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Center webpage is to offer vital information on our clinical, research and teaching programs for patients, physicians and prospective colorectal surgeons. Building on a successful history, the section continues its role as a leader in research and treatment in all aspects of colorectal surgery. Our colorectal surgeons are highly experienced and committed to providing the entire spectrum of care for their patients, dedicated to the assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of disorders of the colon, rectum, and anus and large bowel (colon) anal cancer, inflammatory bowel disease (Crohn's and ulcerative colitis), diverticular disease, problems with fecal incontinence and prolapse, as well as rectocele and hereditary colorectal tumors.

Our colorectal surgeons are recognized nationally and internationally for their clinical and scientific contributions. They are recognized as educators in the medical community and they are actively involved in community education here in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

In addition to rotations as part of the general surgery residency program, the section offers a fellowship program in colorectal surgery that offers in-depth exposure to all aspects of colorectal diseases and surgery. Training allows the Colon & Rectal surgeons to teach future surgeons on the latest techniques. By leading the advances in colon and rectal surgery, our surgeons stay at the forefront of colorectal surgery.

We want our patients to be healthy and we aim to do everything in our power to help them achieve and sustain the highest quality of life possible. It is what makes us leaders in our field.

General & Oncology Surgery

The Section of General & Oncology Surgery at the King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Center is a clinical and academic service which provides advanced expertise in all aspects of General Surgery, including oncology, trauma, critical care, and diseases related to the gastrointestinal tract.

Our mission is to provide the highest quality patient care, conduct innovative medical research, and provide the best training to our surgeons and physicians. This Section is the mainstay of Department of Surgery because General and Oncology Surgery is the bread-and-butter for surgical practice and major cases like cancer patients and tumors of various abdominal structures.

This Section is dealing with most of the surgical emergencies including acute appendicitis, bowel obstructions, acute ventral hernias and others including traumas and which is the cornerstone of Department of Surgery. The wide scale of the surgical domain in this Section includes minor procedures including muscle biopsies, acute appendicitis and small lymph node biopsies to major robotic resections of gastric tumors and laparoscopic procedures too. This Section is the main part who practices laparoscopic surgery including laparoscopic splenectomy, laparoscopic gastrectomy and small bowel resection for various kind of pathology including cancer.

We deal with consultations from other departments for all the types of tumors and cancers. We also do intraabdominal malignancies including very highly sophisticated procedures such as HIPEC, gastrectomy and small bowel resections.

We are committed to provide innovative and safe alternatives to traditional open surgery. Whether we are using state-of-the-art robotic-assisted technologyorendoscopic techniques, our surgeons can perform complex and delicate procedures through small incisions with unmatched precision. In addition, the Section is responsible for the training of undergraduate medical students and provides training for core residents in Surgical Sub-specialties. We have 4 Consultants, 1 Associate Consultant, 2 Assistant Consultants, and 3 Residents with 4 OR list a week and daily 24-hour on call service.

Training residents and medical students and publishing new articles were all part of the function of this important section in the Hospital. There are ongoing continuing medical education programs to keep the medical community updated in a variety of surgical problems.

The Section has been accredited internationally for Robotic Surgery practice as well as laparoscopic procedures.

Pediatric Surgery

The hospital is also a major referral center for a full range of complicated surgical pediatric cases including patients who had surgical procedures somewher else. Total commitment to ensure that the needs of patients and their families always come first. This will be achieved through the pursuit of continuous quality improvement of patient care through scientific knowledge, evidence-based research and clinical work, patient's education and integrated health care networks.

The Section of Pediatric Surgery supports the mission of KFSH&RC in providing the people of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia with the highest quality of tertiary medical care for all types of pediatric surgical diseases in a coordinated and balanced program through clinical practice, teaching and research, along with other related pediatric subspecialty.

The section performs around 1700 procedures annually with major emphasis on pediatric oncology and congenital anomalies. Many process management activities have been employed over the last few years to widen the scope of service and increase capacity. The section have shortened the waiting list significantly through a robust and comprehensive discharge planning process, high rate of operating room utilization, high rate of bed utilization, improvement of surgical techniques, active case management, and standardization of our consultation process.

Our pain management scheme is exemplary and reviewed periodically to minimize suffering after surgical procedures. Inpatient care flow is a focus of improvement and followed closely to ensure the best care delivered in a safe environment.

Plastic Surgery

Plastic Surgery is a major surgical specialty concerned with improving patients’ quality of life. Through plastic surgery procedures, both function and appearance are restored and improved. Plastic Surgery can involve surgery on most facial and body tissue defects resulting from illness, trauma, or congenital disorders.

Skilled plastic surgeons at King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center provide a wide range of reconstructive surgery services. Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery is staffed by plastic surgeons with specialized training and skills in one or more of the following surgical subspecialties:

Reconstructive surgery
Craniofacial surgery
Reconstructive microsurgery
Pediatric plastic surgery
Hand surgery

There are four full time plastic surgeons along with two part time plastic surgeons practicing at KFSH Riyadh. The plastic surgeons work closely with physicians from other specialties to offer patients comprehensive medical care to meet their reconstructive and cosmetic surgical needs.

Plastic Surgery – Subsections:

Breast reconstruction after cancer
Congenital defects
Cleft lip and palate repairs
Adult Craniofacial surgery
Pediatric and Adult Hand surgery
Head and neck reconstruction after cancer
Microvascular surgery
Repair of postoperative defects
Repair of post-traumatic defects
Removal and reconstruction for skin cancer
Burn reconstruction surgery
Cosmetic Surgery

Thoracic Surgery

Thoracic Surgery Service at KFSH&RC receives Tertiary referrals from all provinces of the Kingdom and surrounding Gulf countries. All aspects of Thoracic Surgery are offered to our patient population including, Tracheal Surgery for tumors and stenosis pathologies, lung surgery for cancer and benign diseases, esophageal surgery, mediastinal tumor surgery and chest wall surgery for tumors and deformities, lung transplantation, surgery of diaphragm for pacing and hernias and thoracoscopic surgery for various procedures.

Promoting Oncological Thoracic Malignancy Surgery, Lung Transplantation and pioneering a new technique for chest wall deformities.

Vascular Surgery

Our vascular surgeons are world-renowned leaders in vascular surgery and minimally invasive endovascular therapy. They provide comprehensive state-of-the-art diagnostic and therapeutic interventions for the entire spectrum of circulatory disorders, from medical management to minimally invasive endovascular therapy to conventional open surgery.

Our team has extensive experience in managing complex aortic aneurysms as well as other rare aneurysms of the arterial branches. They perform a full range of vascular and endovascular procedures, including:

Endovascular and open repair of abdominal aortic aneurysms, thoracic aortic aneurysms, and thoracoabdominal aneurysms, including fenestrated and branched stent grafts, chimneys and debranching procedures.
Open surgical reconstructions and balloon angioplasty and stenting in all vascular areas
Carotid endarterectomyand carotid artery stenting
Bypass surgery and endovascular therapy for peripheral artery disease and gangrene of the limbs
Endovascular and open surgical treatment for peripheral artery aneurysms
Endovascular surgical intervention, such as angioplasty and stenting, in all vascular areas
Endovenous laser therapy treatment and radiofrequency ablation for varicose veins and venous ulcers
Endovascular and open surgical reconstruction for deep vein occlusions
Hemodialysis access and HERO grafts.
Treatment of vascular malformations, median arcuate ligament , nutcracker syndromes, lymphedema, and chylous effusions
Chemical and mechanical thrombectomy for DVT.
Thoracic outlet syndrome decompression and carotid body tumors resection.
HBO and Wound Care center

Each year our surgeons evaluate thousands of patients with circulatory conditions ranging from the common to the rare. Our commitment is to diagnose the patient's problem precisely, and to provide the most effective therapy specifically tailored for that individual's needs. Our goal is to optimize our patients' circulatory health.

Significant Achievements:

AlFaisal University Undergraduate Surgical Clerkship:

Aim for PORSCHE (Program of Regenerate Surgical Career Higher than Excellence) graduates of the block.
Currently on the Twenty Blocks of the program, and has been completed of 592 students plus 54 students ongoing.
New Staff for Surgical Working Group for undergraduate medical education.
The Surgical Program is online and can be found in AlFaisal Moodle. (https://elearning.alfaisal.edu)

Research & Publications for the Department of Surgery:

The Department of Surgery conducts, publishes and promotes research activities. It is composed of seven sections: Breast &Endocrine Surgery, Colorectal Surgery, General & Oncology Surgery, Pediatric Surgery, Plastic Surgery, Thoracic Surgery, and Vascular Surgery. They all provide qualified research either by members of the Department, in collaboration with other Hospital departments, other nationally, or international institutions.

The Department maintains the vision of a world-class entity, and is guided by the core of Hospital Research Guidelines, clinical caring, and scientific quality.

It is the goal of the Department to encourage research activities, and involve most of the junior staff and new generation of surgeons in research by conducting the annual surgical research day.

Research activities:

During the last 3 years, the Department members published 133 papers, with an increment of the publications total impact factor every year. For this year, 2018 we have 50 active RAC-approved research projects, and there were 31 research abstracts presented in meetings at KFSH&RC, nationally, or internationally.

Research & Publications

2015

2016

2017

Q1, Q, & Q3 2018

Publications

Research (Ongoing)

1- Breast and Endocrine Surgery

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in Saudi females followed by thyroid cancer. It is estimated that over 3,700 cases between Thyroid and Breast cancer are diagnosed every year in Saudi Arabia. Thyroid cancer is the second most common cancer in Saudi females.

Scope of Services:

The Breast and Endocrine Surgery Program at the King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia has been providing nationally-recognized care and innovative surgical services to its patients for more than a decade. Our services include multidisciplinary teams. For endocrine the team includes endocrine surgeons, endocrinologists, radiologist, and pathologist who work together to manage any endocrine concerns. For the breast care multidisciplinary team include breast surgeons, breast imaging, breast medical oncologist, radiation oncologist, breast pathologist, genetic counselors, and plastic and reconstructive surgeons. Patients play crucial roles in treatment, working side-by-side with physicians to determine an individualized treatment program.

Available Surgical Options:

Our surgeons have completed rigorous training fellowships and employ minimally invasive techniques to treat our patients. At King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, our breast and endocrine surgeons help patients with develop a personalized treatment approach using the latest technology and minimally invasive surgical approaches. Our surgeons specialize in a variety of operative techniques including:

Parathyroid Surgery:

Bilateral Exploration
Minimally Invasive Parathyroidectomy
RadioguidedParathyroidectomy
Parathyroid Autotransplantation
Re-operative parathyroidectomy

Thyroid:

Hemi-thyroidectomy
Total thyroidectomy
Excision of residual thyroid tissue
Central neck dissection
Modified lateral neck dissection
Limited neck dissection

Adrenal surgery:

Laproscopicadrenalectomy

Breast Surgery:

Breast Biopsy
Lumpectomy
Simple Mastectomy
Axillary Lymph Node Dissection
Needle-localized Excision
Modified Radical Mastectomy
Nipple-sparing breast surgery
Skin-sparing breast surgery
Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy
We work together with our plastic surgeon to perform breast Reconstructive Surgery
Breast-Conserving Surgery

Types of Anesthesia:

Our breast and endocrine surgeons in King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, most often use a general anesthesia during surgery, though other options like a local anesthesia with sedation, local or regional block anesthesia, paravertebral block, can be used for some patients.

Fellowship Program

The Section of Breast and Endocrine Surgery at King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre (Gen. Org.) has established this fellowship program to train the general surgeons for two years. The material and skill development is excellent, given the volume of patients at this Institution with resources that support the program in dealing with these diseases. The expectation is that these fellows will be exposed to many interesting cases and the standard management, while gaining enough experience to make them ready to manage these cases alone. The educational activities, multidisciplinary approach clinical conferences, and research opportunities add greatly to the learning environment. Up to now 10 fellows graduated from the program, and we have 5 fellows in the program now.

Medical Conditions:

Endocrine

Parathyroidism

Primary hyperparathyroidism
“Mild” or early hyperparathyroidism
Secondary hyperparathyroidism
Tertiary hyperparathyroidism
Lithium-induced hyperparathyroidism
Parathyroid cancer
Recurrent hyperparathyroidism
Persistent hyperparathyroidism
Parathyroid autotransplant

Thyroid

Graves’ Disease
Thyroid Cancer
Thyroid Nodules
Substernal Goiter
Thyroiditis
Thyroid neoplasm

Adrenal

Conn's Syndrome (primary hyperaldosteronism)
Cushing's Syndrome
Pheochromocytoma
Adrenal neoplasm

Breast

Fibrocystic breast changes
Fibroadenomas
Breast cysts
Gynecomastia
Intraductalpapillomas
Nipple discharge
Accessory breast tissue
Trauma
Breast abscesses
Breast pain
Breast cancer
Breast neoplasms

2- Colorectal Surgery:

Scope of Services:

Our colorectal surgeons are highly experienced and committed to providing the entire spectrum of care for their patients, dedicated to the assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of disorders of the colon, rectum, and anus and large bowel (colon) anal cancer, inflammatory bowel disease (Crohn's and ulcerative colitis), diverticular disease, problems with fecal incontinence and prolapse, as well as rectocele and hereditary colorectal tumors.

We want our patients to be healthy and we aim to do everything in our power to help them achieve and sustain the highest quality of life possible. It is what makes us leaders in our field.

3- General and Oncology Surgery:

Our section is the heart of the Surgery Department, we cover the general surgery with all its aspects including all common surgical procedures with state of the art patient care in addition we cover surgical oncology surgery which is a rapidly evolving and growing services and program in conjunction with the Medical oncology, Radiology and Radiation Oncology Departments.

The section includes 4 full time consultants and one part time consultant, 3 assistant consultants, 3 senior residents and 2 junior residents, and 2 Interns.

Scope of services:

Both elective and emergency abdominal surgery, both open and laparoscopic procedures, we also provide surgical oncology for complex bowel tumors and abdominal wall tumors.

HIPEC:

We provide Intraoperative chemotherapy for advanced intra-abdominal tumors with up to date equipment and we have excellent results which meets the international standards.

Robotic Surgery:

The section is rapidly evolving to include robotic procedures into the daily operating room schedules, the recently developed equipments are available and in use on weekly basis.

Lines and catheters:

We are the only section which is involved heavily in cooperation with medical oncology, nephrology, pulmonologist and neuroscience departments helping them to provide the best care by inserting Infusaports for chemotherapy, Peritoneal catheters and VP shunts, recently subcutaneous pumps for pulmonary hypertension patients.

Research:

The section is publishing at least 2 papers for each consultant in a well-recognized medical journal with high impact factor, we are very active in organizing randomized controlled studies with involvement of residents and medical students.

Teaching:

The most active section in teaching residents in training and young consultants to reach the international standards for complex surgical procedures and tumor surgery, this is in addition to weekly teaching rounds for trainees and medical students.

4- Pediatric Surgery

The Section of Pediatric Surgery is recognized as a leading pediatric surgery unit nationally and regionally. It is specialized in many complex field including surgical oncology, congenital anomalies, advanced minimally invasive surgery with excellent patient outcomes. Moreover, it is one of the leading surgical education units in the country. Our vision is to be the leading pediatric surgery service in the region. Our mission is to deliver the highest pediatric surgery care with the highest international standards in a compassionate, ethical, educational and research atmosphere. We aim at improving the surgical care of children through evidence-based practice, and to educate the next generation of health professionals in pediatric surgery. Our comprehensive approach includes patients, families and society as a whole.

King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Centre (KFSH & RC) is the referral center for high-risk pregnancy with antenatal diagnosis of surgical neonatal problems, oncological patients and for other complex congenital anomalies of pediatric age group, which all need a multidisciplinary teamwork action and advanced technology including Minimally Invasive/Robotic Surgery. The hospital is also a major referral center for a full range of complicated surgical pediatric cases including patients who had surgical procedures somewhere else.

Total commitment to ensure that the needs of patients and their families always come first. This will be achieved through the pursuit of continuous quality improvement of patient care through scientific knowledge, evidence-based research and clinical work, patient's education and integrated health care networks, besides providing patient- and family -centered care, where the needs and views of patients and their families are at the heart of everything we do.

The Section of Pediatric Surgery supports the mission of KFSH & RC in providing the people of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia with the highest quality of tertiary medical care for all types of pediatric surgical diseases in a coordinated and balanced program through clinical practice, teaching and research, along with other related pediatric subspecialty.

Scope of Services:

We are applying the most modern surgical techniques to diagnose and treat patients suffering from gastrointestinal and thoracic malformations and diseases, besides cancer.

Gastrointestinal:

- Gastric conditions: infantile hypertrophic pyloric stenosis, antral web; spontaneous perforation.

- Duodenal conditions: atresia, stenosis, webs, diverticula, and duplications.

- Small intestinal conditions: malrotation, atresia, meconium ileus, Meckel's diverticulum, necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC); intussusception; duplications, mesenteric cysts; neoplasms, Crohn's disease, bowel obstruction and short bowel syndrome.

- Colonic conditions: appendicitis; inflammatory bowel disease, typhlitis; meconium plug syndrome, intestinal pseudo-obstruction; Hirschsprung's disease, and colonic atresia.

- Anorectal conditions: imperforate anus; fissures, abscesses, fistulae, rectal prolapse; constipation, and fecal incontinence.

- Hepatic and biliary conditions: congenital and acquired liver cysts, trauma, tumors, abscess, biliary atresia, choledochal cyst; and gallbladder stones.

- Surgical splenic conditions.

- Pancreatic conditions: congenital anomalies and tumors.

- Congenital Abdominal wall defect.

Thoracic Surgery

- Esophageal atresia and tracheoesophageal fistula (TEF), esophageal achalasia, webs, stenosis, and duplications.

- Acquired esophageal conditions: gastroesophageal (GE) reflux, hiatal hernia; strictures, perforations, foreign bodies, corrosives ingestion, webs, and tumors.

- Congenital lung lesions: congenital pulmonary malformations, lobar emphysema,

-Acquired lung lesions: abscess/pneumatocele, empyema, chylothorax, and pulmonary metastases.

- Mediastinal lesions: cysts, thymic disorders, and tumors

- Congenital Diaphragmatic hernia and eventration.

Oncology

- Renal tumors: Wilms' tumor, mesoblasticnephroma, nephroblastomatosis, adenocarcinoma, clear cell sarcoma, renal cell carcinoma, lymphoma and rhabdoid tumor.

- Adrenal tumors: neuroblastoma, ganglioneuroblastoma, carcinoma, phaechromoctyoma.

- Benign and malignant Liver tumors.

- Sarcomas: rhabdomyosarcoma, fibrosarcoma, leiomyosarcoma, liposarcoma, neurofibromas, desmoplastic small round cell tumor.

-Teratomas: sacrococcygeal and gonadal tumors, familial teratomas, other teratoma sites.

- Thyroid and parathyroid tumors.

- Thoracopulmonary: pleuropulmonaryblastoma, bronchoalveolar carcinoma, carcinoid

Minimally Invasive Surgery:

- Laparoscopy: our surgeons are pioneers and experts in laparoscopic surgery. We are leading center in laparoscopy performing many of advance procedures laparoscopically like pull through for complex anorectal malformation, Hirschsprung disease, fundoplication , Hillar procedure for Achalasia , Congenital diaphragmatic hernia, congenital abdominal cysts , bowel atresia, splenic and pancreatic resection, and undescended testes and inguinal hernia ,besides most of the abdominal exploration and biopsies are done by scope.

- Thoracoscopy: our surgeons are frontier in minimally invasive thoracic surgery. We do congenital tracheoesophageal fistula and esophageal atresia, congenital diaphragmatic hernia and eventration, besides regular lobectomies, segmentectomies, and decortications for patients with sub-acute and chronic empyema, thymectomy in patients with myasthenia gravis.

Some of the well-known benefits of the minimally invasive surgery are:

-A shorter hospital stay.

-Less pain and risk of complications.

-Quicker recovery.

-Less post-operative immunosuppression.

-A faster return to a healthy active lifestyle.

-The ability to receive any necessary follow-up treatments, including chemotherapy and radiation therapy, sooner after surgery.

Oncology Pediatric Surgery

KFSH&RC is one of the world’s best cancer hospitals. Thousands of pediatric patients from different region around Saudi Arabia and gulf area come for care each year. What makes us stand out?

Our primary focus is cancer. We see more types of cancer than any other children’s hospital in Saudi Arabia, and our pediatric oncology surgeons are expert in treating advance, complex and rare pediatric cancers. They have high surgical skills, along with an extensive amount knowledge to call on when building treatment plans.Moreover they utilize state-of-the art equipments to serve our population.

We do major liver resection for hepatoblastoma, total nephrectomy for Wilms tumor, Neuroblastomas, teratoma, complex rhabdomyosarcomas, and others.

Our commitment to the research:

Research activities are encouraged and members of the section produce high-quality research and are involved in many projects approved by our IRB committee at the hospital such as:

Anorectal malformation
Pancreatic diseases
Hepatobiliary problems
Lymphangiomas
Extra renal tumors

Education and Training Program in Pediatric Surgery:

Our section has an extensive training program which includes:

Pediatric General Surgery Fellows who are fully trained general surgeons and are completing three-year training program in pediatric general surgery.
Pediatric Surgery Residents who spend six years in training.
General Surgery Residents who complete a six weeks rotation.

We are also very proud to receive and train interns and medical students from Alfaisal University, integrating them in our daily activity.

5- Plastic Surgery:

Plastic Surgery is a major surgical specialty concerned with improving patients’ quality of life. Through plastic surgery procedures, both function and appearance are restored and improved. Plastic Surgery can involve surgery on most body tissue defects resulting from illness, trauma, or congenital disorders.

Scope of Services:

Reconstructive surgery
Craniofacial surgery
Reconstructive microsurgery
Pediatric plastic surgery
Hand surgery

The plastic surgeons work closely with physicians from other specialties to offer patients comprehensive medical care to meet their reconstructive and cosmetic surgical needs.

Subsections:

Breast reconstruction after cancer
Congenital defects
Cleft lip and palate repairs
Adult Craniofacial surgery
Pediatric and Adult Hand surgery
Head and neck reconstruction after cancer
Microvascular surgery
Repair of postoperative defects
Repair of post-traumatic defects
Removal and reconstruction for skin cancer
Burn reconstruction surgery
Cosmetic Surgery

6- Thoracic Surgery:

The Section of Thoracic Surgery at KFSHRC has been one of the first of its kind in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and our thoracic surgeons are, nationally and internationally, recognized for their comprehensive treatment of the thorax diseases.

Our pioneering surgeons have consistently contributed to the evolution of our field in the Kingdom through their efforts in applying new technologies and the latest surgical techniques, for the benefit of our patients, who come to us from different regions inside and outside of the Kingdom.

Our Section takes a multidisciplinary approach focused on a modern personalized therapy, based on the international guidelines across several specialties such as Pulmonary Medicine, Medical Oncology, Radiotherapy, Radiology and Pathology and also we work with our well defined clinical pathways to increase the quality of our services following the values and mission of our hospital.

Scope of services:

We are applying the most modern surgical techniques to diagnose and treat patients suffering from:

Lung cancer and other lung tumors
Lung infections (aspergilloma, bronchiectasis, tuberculosis)
Emphysema and pneumothorax
Myasthenia Gravis
Thymomas and other mediastinal tumors
Empyema
Mesothelioma
Malignant pleural effusion
Pneumothorax
Esophageal cancer
Gastroesophageal reflux (GERD) and other benign esophageal diseases
Benign and malignant chest wall tumors
Diaphragmatic hernias or paralysis
Tracheal tumors and stenosis
Hyperhidrosis (excessive sweating)
End- stage lung diseases

Minimally Invasive Thoracic Surgery Program

VATS (video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery): our surgeons are pioneers and experts in minimally invasive thoracic surgery. Some of the procedures we perform are: regular lobectomies, lobectomies after chemoradiation, segmentectomies (sublobar resections) and sleeve resections, VATS decortications for patients with sub-acute and chronic empyema (stage III and IV), VATS thymectomy in patients with myasthenia gravis and malignant tumors located in the anterior mediastinum, VATS for patients with tumors located in the posterior mediastinum, VATS for pectus excavatum repair VATS for controlling active hemothorax, VATS for hyperhidrosis, etc.

Robotic Surgery: our team is opening the robotic surgery program to reinforce our minimally invasive surgery program and develop less invasive procedures.

Some of the well-known benefits of the minimally invasive thoracic surgery vs. the traditional thoracotomy are:

-A shorter hospital stay.

-Less pain and risk of complications.

-Quicker recovery.

-Less post-operative immunosuppression.

-A faster return to a healthy active lifestyle, reduced to half of the time compared to a thoracotomy.

-The ability to receive any necessary follow-up treatments, including chemotherapy and radiation therapy, sooner after surgery.

-Less depression of the pulmonary function after lung resection.

Hyperthermicintrapleural chemotherapy perfusion (HITOC): our team is establishing for the first time, this therapy to treat patients with malignant pleural effusion in combination with systemic chemotherapy. With the support of by Dr. Tarek Amen, an internationally recognized leader in the hyperthermic intraperitoneal perfusion and our excellent oncologists.

Laser: we are the sole center in the Middle East with laser therapy for the treatment of malignant lung tumors and lung metastases. The laser can be applied by VATS, open or endobronchial.

Bronchoscopy and EBUS: our surgeons are pioneers in a new technique used to close bronchopleural fistulas endoscopically in combination with VATS surgery, and in using the laser and balloon dilatation and stenting to treat stenosis of the airway. Also, we can perform precise biopsies of lung nodules and mediastinal lymph nodes with these minimally invasive techniques in cases that once demanded operative procedures.

Open Thoracic Surgery

Our team has established the resection of malignant tumors of the chest wall by using a cosmetic and less painful sub-mammary approach avoiding the presence of scars in the chest wall and replacing the ribs with bone graft. We also have experience in performing bronchial and arterial sleeve lobectomies to prevent the pneumonectomy and preserve the pulmonary function.

In addition to this, our team is pioneer in controlling the postoperative pain by using a paravertebral catheter and also has described a new surgical technique to treat patients with severe pectus excavatum using bone graft which doesn't need to be removed in the future, giving excellent stability to the anterior chest wall.

Lung Transplantation

One of the main goals of our lung transplantation program is to help patients with end-stage respiratory failure to live longer giving them a better quality of life and excellent survival rates.

Our surgeons, within a multidisciplinary approach, are fully involved in the lung transplantation program for adult and pediatric patients. Our program is the only active program in the Middle East for the treatment of patients with end-stage lung diseases, thanks to the generosity of our donors and their relatives.

Repairing and reconditioning donated lungs

Many donated lungs are not suitable due to the systemic effects of brain death, and less than 20% are viable for transplantation. We are applying the most modern technology to increase the organ utilization rates such as the ex vivo lung perfusion" (EVLP) by reconditioning lungs that have sustained damage outside of the body, making them suitable for transplantation and increasing the available pool of donated lungs.

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO)

Some patients with severe lung disease can be supported by ambulatory ECMO in a way to oxygenate the blood till the transplantation artificially and also it can be used to assist patients intraoperatively and postoperatively in case of primary graft dysfunction, increasing the success rate.

Our commitment to the research

Our section is involved in Translational Research in thoracic surgery, and our surgeons are pioneers in the use of pulsed ultrasound therapy to treat thoracic fractures. Our research includes pioneering research fields such as:

Organ bioengineering
Lung transplantation
Regenerative Medicine
Lung cancer
Sarcomas
Lung metastasis
Esophageal cancer

Committed with the education: Training in Thoracic Surgery

Our section is the only one in the Kingdom formally recognized to train fellows since our surgeons are ones of the foremost educators about open and minimally invasive thoracic surgery.

To enhance the surgical skills of our fellows and residents in minimally invasive surgery, we have set up the first training program with big animals at the Comparative Medicine Unit where an excellent team of veterinaries and nurses work hard to accelerate their training. We are also very proud to receive and train interns and medical students from Alfaisal University, integrating them in our daily activity.

Committed to Society: National Surgery Program and lung cancer screening

Our surgeons are involved in The National Surgery Program designed to serve KFSH&RC’s patients who require specialized invasive surgical procedures in their regions. The program is a cooperation project between participating MOH hospitals and the Department of Surgery at KFSH&RC through Health Outreach Services Department.

Also, taking into consideration that lung cancer kills more people than the next three most common cancers combined, our section will annually host the “Lung Cancer Awareness Day”, with the intention of raising awareness about lung cancer and its global impact by creating an educational movement of understanding about lung cancer risks as well as prevention, screening with low-dose CT scans, diagnosis and early treatment.

7- Vascular Surgery

Scope of Services:

Endovascular and open repair of abdominal aortic aneurysms, thoracic aortic aneurysms, and thoracoabdominal aneurysms, including fenestrated and branched stent grafts, chimneys and debranching procedures.
Open surgical reconstructions and balloon angioplasty and stenting in all vascular areas
Carotid endarterectomyand carotid artery stenting
Bypass surgery and endovascular therapy for peripheral artery disease and gangrene of the limbs
Endovascular and open surgical treatment for peripheral artery aneurysms
Endovascular surgical intervention, such as angioplasty and stenting, in all vascular areas
Endovenous laser therapy treatment and radiofrequency ablation for varicose veins and venous ulcers
Endovascular and open surgical reconstruction for deep vein occlusions
Hemodialysis access and HERO grafts.
Treatment of vascular malformations, median arcuate ligament, nutcracker syndromes, lymphedema, and chylous effusions
Chemical and mechanical thrombectomy for DVT.
Thoracic outlet syndrome decompression and carotid body tumors resection.
HBO and Wound Care center

Achievements:

Our team perform more than 500 complex open and endovascular procedures yearly. They have great experience in ChEVAR and performed the first BEVAR , FEVAR and Flow modulator stent (MFM) in the kingdom . KFSH in Riyadh becomes the only center in the kingdom who offer this kind of advance technology and become the main referral for complex aortic pathology and thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms. It is also the main referral center for management and treatment of all lymphatic pathology and AVM.

Recently we started using the iliac branched stent graft to preserve flow to internal iliac artery during EVAR and expand our venous intervention to treat acute venous thrombosis and chronic venous hypertension.

We are involved in multiple trials and very active in research and animal lap.

Regulations relating to referring and admission

Information guide for patients and visitors

Health outreach services program