Padua Hospital Performs World-First Fully Robotic liver transplant With Organ Preserved On Perfusion Machine
WORLD NEWS – ITALY: The Azienda Ospedaliera di Padova announced a pioneering surgical milestone: the first fully robotic liver transplant in which the organ was maintained on a perfusion machine during implantation. Surgeons removed the donor liver, kept it actively perfused to protect tissue during the critical, prolonged suturing phase, and completed the implantation using the Da Vinci robotic platform — a sequence the team describes as a global first for organ preparation and robotic implantation.
The center’s surgical lead, Professor Cillo, characterized the procedure as an extreme technical challenge, likening the precision required to assembling a large vessel inside a bottle. By sustaining the graft on a perfusion device through the implant step, the team aimed to avoid the minutes-to-hours of ischemic stress that can impair post-transplant function. Clinicians report that this approach does not change immunologic rejection risk or organ availability, but it appears to reshape the patient recovery trajectory.
Two patients have already benefited at Padua: a middle-aged bodybuilder from the Friuli region and a senior resident of Padua, both described as recovering strongly. Hospital outcomes cited include minimal postoperative pain, rapid return of gastrointestinal function and mobility, shorter intensive care stays, and overall shorter hospitalizations — one case involving roughly a week in hospital with only brief intensive care. Surgeons note the quicker recovery may also lower infection risk, a critical concern after transplantation.
Looking ahead, the team intends to scale minimally invasive, robot-assisted liver transplantation by combining broader access to perfusion technology with robotic platforms. With increased organ availability and perfusion capacity, the hospital aims to expand the number of patients eligible for less invasive transplant procedures and to refine protocols that protect grafts during the most delicate phases of implantation.
Video originally published on 2026-01-28 12:50:45
