RIYADH: A cardiology team at Saudi Arabia’s Seha Virtual Hospital supervised a remote operation to save the life of a 70-year-old woman suffering from severe heart pain. The patient arrived at the emergency department of King Fahd Specialist Hospital in Tabuk, complaining of severe pain in her chest. After communicating with specialists from the cardiology team at Seha Virtual Hospital, located 1,000 kilometers away in the capital Riyadh, a decision was reached to operate on the woman and correct a life-threatening heart defect. من الرياض إلى القلب، هكذا وعن بُعد.. تم إجراء عملية قلب لسيدة من تبوك، بإشراف طاقم طبي من #مستشفى_صحة_الافتراضي . pic.twitter.com/iwswy9Aoe5 — وزارة الصحة السعودية (@SaudiMOH) June 21, 2022 The operation, supervised by SVH consultants, was successful. The patient stayed for two days in the intensive care unit before being transferred to the inpatient department for another two days. She has left the hospital in good health and is receiving follow-up treatment in the outpatient clinic. With a growing live network of 130 connected hospitals, Seha Virtual Hospital is the largest of its kind in the world. The only other virtual hospital to rival it is in the US, with 43 connected hospitals. Patients of the virtual hospital will no longer need to travel to different parts of the Kingdom to be seen by specialized physicians, nor will they be limited by 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. clinic hours. Earlier, an official told Arab News that patients can now receive second and third medical opinions from the same consulting room. Unlike simple video calls with doctors, the virtual hospital allows patients to visit their local hospital and attend a real-time live video clinical session with top specialists from across the Kingdom. During the session, vitals signs can be shared, while tests and X-rays can also be taken and shared with the network of specialists. Emergency interventions can be provided round the clock, and real-time consultations with top specialists will guide local junior staff in dealing with complex cases. Seha Virtual Hospital covers 12 main specialties and more than 35 subspecialties, including hospital-at-home follow-ups, where chronically ill patients, from the comfort of their homes, can stay connected with doctors.