RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, Oct. 23, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre (KFSH) has reduced the wait for the first available echocardiography appointment at its Heart Center of Excellence from 126 days in June 2023 to one day in 2026, removing one of the main delays between a cardiac referral and a treatment decision.
Echocardiography is a core test in cardiac care, used to assess the structure and function of the heart. A long wait for the scan can delay diagnosis, postpone treatment decisions, and leave patients uncertain about their condition.
The improvement came from three changes. KFSH recruited additional cardiac sonographers, expanded its capacity to interpret scans, and introduced a mandatory 24-hour turnaround for reports, so that results reach the treating physician without delay.
The change supports a center that manages a large and complex caseload. The Heart Center of Excellence records more than 70,000 outpatient visits, over 5,000 adult and pediatric catheterizations, and up to 1,400 complex cardiac surgeries each year, alongside dedicated clinics for cardiac amyloidosis, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, cardio-oncology, and advanced lipid management.
Faster diagnostics are part of a wider redesign of cardiac services. Twice-daily multidisciplinary virtual discharge rounds and a round-the-clock virtual cardiac service have contributed to reducing the center's average length of stay from nine days in 2023 to 7.13 days so far in 2026.
For KFSH, access is measured from the patient's side. Removing waiting time at the diagnostic stage allows every subsequent step in cardiac care to begin sooner.
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.
For more information, please contact Media Coverage at KFSH: mediacoverage@kfshrc.edu.sa
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