UPMC in Central Pennsylvania has successfully performed its first robotic kidney transplant on a living donor. Surgeons Dr. Danielle Ladie and Dr. Harold Yang utilized the da Vinci Xi robotic surgery system by Intuitive on February 6 for the nephrectomy procedure. This marks the first use of the robotic system in the UPMC Transplant program in Central Pennsylvania. Both the 37-year-old male donor and the 62-year-old female recipient from Harrisburg are reported to be doing well.
The da Vinci Xi robotic system allows for minimally invasive living donor surgical procedures, providing increased precision, less tissue damage, and improved visualization. The surgeon controls the robotic arm through a console, enabling the removal of the donor kidney through small incisions. This method leads to quicker recovery, less pain, and reduced scarring. Robotic surgery also offers benefits such as reduced blood loss, less postoperative discomfort, and smaller incisions in the lower abdomen, which decreases the risk of hernia and infection. With over 90,000 people in the US waiting for a kidney transplant, this innovative approach to living donor nephrectomy could have significant implications for improving the quality of care for those in need.
