Medical breakthrough in Jeddah: Laparoscopic kidney transplant ends a child's suffering
King Abdulaziz University in Jeddah has achieved a significant medical milestone, adding to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's record of healthcare successes. A specialized medical team at the university hospital successfully ended the suffering of a 13-year-old girl who had been experiencing advanced kidney failure. The operation, which involved a kidney transplant from her mother using modern endoscopic techniques, was a complete success. This achievement marks the official launch of the pediatric kidney transplant program at the hospital.
Details of the medical procedure and techniques used
The child underwent a meticulous care program at the Center of Excellence for Pediatric Kidney Care, after being diagnosed with a rare condition of small kidneys since the embryonic stage, which over time led to a severe deterioration in vital functions that required urgent surgical intervention.
In a move reflecting the advancements in surgery in the Kingdom, the medical team used laparoscopic technology to remove a kidney from the donor mother. This procedure was characterized by its high precision, as the kidney was extracted through a pre-existing incision in the abdomen. This significantly reduced post-operative pain and resulted in better cosmetic outcomes for the mother, while ensuring the safety of the transplanted kidney.
The importance and impact of kidney transplantation in children
Kidney transplants for children are of paramount importance, even more so than for adults, because kidney failure at a young age negatively impacts a child's physical and mental development. Transplantation is the medically superior option compared to dialysis, allowing the child to lead a normal life, return to school, and grow properly without dependence on frequent dialysis machines.
This success enhances the position of the Saudi health sector regionally and reduces the need to travel abroad to receive such complex treatments, which is in line with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 goals of localizing specialized medical services and raising the efficiency of the healthcare system.
Strategic planning and national competencies
This achievement was not a coincidence, but rather the result of intensive strategic planning that lasted for three years of preparation and planning, which required mobilizing the efforts of multiple disciplines and applying the latest global protocols in tissue matching and comprehensive health assessment to ensure the sustainability of the transplanted kidney's function.
This medical procedure was managed by a comprehensive team of qualified national staff, including a select group of consultants. The team consisted of the Pediatric Nephrology Department, led by Professor Dr. Jamila Qari, Professor Dr. Osama Safdar, Dr. Abdulaziz Bahassan, and Professor Wafia Al-Abbasi, supported by the Adult Nephrology team, represented by Dr. Abdullah Qashqari and Dr. Suhail Khoja.
The surgery was performed by a distinguished surgical team including Professor Dr. Murad Al-Jafri, Dr. Abrar Nawawi, and Dr. Abdulrahman Sabban, under the supervision of a specialized anesthesia team led by Dr. Ibrahim Abu Shousha and Dr. Ayman Attal. The efforts were complemented by the participation of teams from infectious diseases, immunology, intensive care, radiology, and clinical pharmacy, in addition to providing psychological and social support to the child and her mother, thus confirming the university hospital's readiness to handle even the most complex medical cases.
