KFSH Celebrates Over 100 Single-Port Robotic Surgeries in Its First Nine Months

King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre marked a major milestone in robotic surgery, having performed 109 procedures using single-port robotic technology within nine months of launching the program. The achievements included two world firsts: the first removal of part of a living donor’s liver and the first liver transplant performed using this technology.

The milestone was celebrated at a ceremony in Riyadh attended by KFSH CEO Dr. Björn Zoëga and other senior hospital leaders. The program covers several surgical specialties, including transplantation, general surgery, gastrointestinal surgery, and endocrine surgery. With 84 single-port robotic kidney removals from living donors, KFSH also recorded the largest published series of these procedures from a single center worldwide.

Clinical results have been encouraging, particularly in terms of safety and shorter hospital stays. Among kidney donors, 96% were discharged within 24 hours, while liver donors stayed for two to three days.

No major complications were reported among kidney donors, and no complications were recorded among liver donors. The technology enables surgeons to operate through one small incision, compared with the four to six incisions typically required for conventional minimally invasive surgery. This reduces pain and scarring and helps patients and organ donors recover and return to daily activities sooner.

KFSH plans to perform more procedures and expand the use of single-port robotic surgery. It is also developing remote follow-up programs with the aim of enabling same-day discharge for donors in the future, while training more surgeons, nurses, and technical staff to use the technology.

King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre has been ranked first in the Middle East and Africa and 12th globally among the world’s top 250 academic medical centers for 2026. It was also recognized as the most valuable healthcare brand in the Kingdom and the Middle East for 2026, according to Brand Finance, and listed by Newsweek among the World’s Best Hospitals, World’s Best Smart Hospitals, and World’s Best Specialized Hospitals for 2026.