The cardiology center at King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center (KFSH&RC) carried out 601 complicated surgical operations on children suffering from genetically-transmitted heart diseases last year, said Dr. Qasim Al-Qasabi, CEO of KFSH&RC.

The surgeries have placed the KFSH&RC on par with the Top 10 medical centers in the United States, which conduct the highest rates of pediatric open heart operations, he said.

He explained that the heart center carried out 1,183 surgical heart operations for adults and children in 2014, most of which were highly complicated valve surgeries.

Al-Qasabi, who was addressing ceremony held for honoring the cardiology center staff for their services, said the center carried out 7,482 intra-cardiac operations, 24,000 heart echo tests and 62,000 ECG tests.

During 2014, the center performed 26 heart transplant operations, an increase of 73 percent over figures of 2013, a matter that placed the KFSH&RC on par with reputable medical centers in the United States, such as Northwestern Memorial in Chicago, Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, and a branch of Mayo Clinic in Arizona.

The center provided services to more than 40,000 patients at outpatient clinics whereas some 2,600 were admitted for having complicated heart diseases, he said.