The first robotic liver transplant has been performed in the USA
The team of transplant surgeon Adil Khan performed the first robotic liver transplant in the United States at Barnes-Jewish Hospital. This innovative procedure will now be performed at other hospitals.The 60-year-old man, who required a liver transplant due to cancer and cirrhosis caused by hepatitis C, underwent surgery performed with advanced equipment while the chief surgeon controlled the robot's movements from a nearby console.
"The transplant was successful: the new liver started working immediately and the patient recovered without any surgical complications," said transplant surgeon Dr. Adil Khan, who led a team of surgeons from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis to Barnes-Jewish Hospital.
The recipient was comfortable and moving about a month after surgery and wanted to return to golfing and swimming. It usually takes about six weeks for a patient to move around without discomfort.
The hospital has focused on developing this advanced technology to minimize the invasiveness of surgery and, in turn, get patients back on their feet faster. Surgeons have already completed more than 30 kidney transplants and other procedures involving the bile ducts, pancreas and stomach using the robotics system. But this is their (and in the U.S. in general) first liver transplant.
Liver transplantation is one of the most complicated abdominal surgeries.
Usually in such an operation, the surgeon makes two incisions - 10 and 40 centimeters. However, the robot only needs 1.5 and 15 centimeters.
The transplant took just over eight hours, but surgeons believe the time will decrease as the procedure becomes more common.