ITALY: Azienda Ospedale Universita Di Padova Performs Its First Fully Robotic Living Kidney Transplant

First Fully Robotic kidney transplant At Padova From Mother To Son

WORLD NEWS – ITALY: Surgeons at the Azienda Ospedale Università di Padova completed the hospital’s first fully robotic kidney transplant Friday, implanting a living-donor organ donated by a mother to her 35-year-old son from Venice. The operation was led by professoressa Lucrezia Furian and marked a milestone for minimally invasive transplantation at the center.

The donor underwent a laparoscopic nephrectomy and the kidney procurement was performed through a minimally invasive approach. The recipient’s implantation used an innovative, fully robotic surgical technique, also minimally invasive. Teams say the combined laparoscopic procurement and robotic transplant required extended preparation and protocol development to ensure safety and precision.

The multidisciplinary operating room team — surgeons, anesthetists and nurses — trained together last year in Chicago to refine the procedures and protocols now applied at Padova. Staff reported relief and emotion at the successful completion of the case; both donor and recipient are reported to be doing well. Padova performed 239 kidney transplants in 2025 and has completed 105 so far in 2026, underscoring the program’s high volume and growing technical capabilities.

Clinicians emphasized the ongoing need for organ donation and the challenges that follow transplantation, including post-transplant immunosuppression management and strategies to increase compatibility for more patients. Nearly 7,000 people remain on Italy’s kidney transplant waiting lists, highlighting the continuing demand and the role of living donation and innovation in saving lives.

Video originally published on 2026-06-06 13:33:50