RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, Oct. 20, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre (KFSH) has established a dedicated Cardiac Catheterization Lab within the Emergency Department at its Riyadh hospital, bringing advanced diagnostic and interventional capabilities directly to critically ill cardiac patients when time to treatment is crucial.
The facility enables physicians to diagnose critical cardiac conditions and perform catheter-based interventions in the same emergency care environment. By eliminating the need to transfer patients from the Emergency Department to a catheterization laboratory elsewhere in the hospital after initial assessment, the model shortens the clinical pathway between arrival, diagnosis, and intervention.
The impact is measurable. The new facility has reduced by 50% the time between a heart attack patient's arrival at the Emergency Department and reopening a blocked coronary artery through catheterization. It also strengthens KFSH's readiness to manage other time-critical cardiovascular emergencies, including cardiogenic shock and cardiac arrest.
The facility is among a limited number of dedicated Emergency Department cardiac catheterization laboratories worldwide and represents the latest development in KFSH's decades-long expansion of cardiovascular services. It builds on an integrated emergency cardiac model in which emergency physicians, cardiologists, catheterization teams, and standardized evidence-based protocols operate as a coordinated pathway.
Executive Director of the Heart Center of Excellence at KFSH, Dr. Hani Alsergani, said: "For patients, placing catheterization capability within the Emergency Department means fewer internal transfers and a shorter route from presentation to definitive treatment. For clinical teams, it creates an environment designed for rapid multidisciplinary decision-making and intervention in cases where delays can have significant consequences."
The model shows how hospital design and clinical pathway innovation can work together to improve emergency care, not simply by introducing new technology but by placing specialized capability closer to the patient at the moment it is needed most.
King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre was ranked first in the Middle East and Africa and 12th globally among the world's top 250 academic medical centers for 2026, and was named the most valuable healthcare brand in Saudi Arabia and the Middle East for 2026 by Brand Finance. KFSH was also recognized by Newsweek among the world's best hospitals, best smart hospitals, and best specialized hospitals for 2026.
For more information, please contact Media Coverage at KFSH: mediacoverage@kfshrc.edu.sa
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