Centres & Specialties
King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Centre (KFSH) in Riyadh has opened an Emergency Department Cardiac Catheterization Lab, enabling physicians to diagnose critical cardiac conditions and perform interventional treatment in one location, reducing by 50% the time between a heart attack patient’s arrival at the Emergency Department and reopening a blocked artery through catheterization, while accelerating care for cardiogenic shock and cardiac arrest, where time is a critical factor in clinical outcomes.
The new lab brings interventional cardiology closer to the point of emergency care. Instead of transferring patients from the Emergency Department to a catheterization lab in another part of the hospital after initial assessment, the facility allows diagnosis and catheter-based treatment to take place within the Emergency Department, reducing internal transfer time and strengthening the readiness of clinical teams to respond to high-risk cardiac cases.
The facility is one of only a limited number of such labs worldwide and reflects a care model focused on shortening the pathway from emergency presentation to treatment. In acute cardiac emergencies, particularly heart attacks, faster access to the appropriate intervention is central to preserving heart muscle and improving clinical outcomes. According to the World Health Organization, cardiovascular diseases remain the leading cause of death globally, accounting for about 31% of all deaths worldwide.
The facility is the result of a strategic collaboration between KFSH and Medtronic, which supported the development of the facility and the advancement of emergency cardiovascular care infrastructure. The inauguration ceremony also included the signing of an agreement between both organizations, reinforcing their continued collaboration in specialized healthcare innovation.
KFSH continues to advance its cardiovascular services through an integrated system that includes complex cardiac interventions, heart transplantation programs, mechanical circulatory support and robotic cardiac surgery, further strengthening its position as a regional and international referral center for highly specialized care.
KFSH was ranked first in the Middle East and Africa and 12th globally among the world’s top 250 academic medical centers for 2026, and recognized as the most valuable healthcare brand in the Kingdom and the Middle East for 2026 by Brand Finance. It was also included in Newsweek’s 2026 lists of the World’s Best Hospitals, World’s Best Smart Hospitals and World’s Best Specialized Hospitals.