Robotic Kidney Transplantation

Verified by Dr. Amolkumar Patil, Lead and Senior Consultant – Urology, Kidney Transplant and Robotics, Apollo Hospitals, Navi Mumbai.

Regular advancements in surgical technology are making surgeries safer and free of risks, especially when it comes to major procedures like organ transplantations. In recent years, minimally invasive procedures have managed to eliminate multiple risks associated with traditional form of surgery and Kidney Transplants are no exception.

Robot-assisted Kidney Transplantation is a minimally invasive procedure where a trained surgeon operates on the patient via a robotic surgical system. While Kidney Transplant is a life-saving procedure for those affected by end-stage renal disease, donors with co-morbidities often struggle to advance on the list for transplantations. Robot-assisted Kidney Transplants procedures are changing this.

Open Surgery v/s Robotic Surgery

For decades, kidney transplantation has been performed by making large incisions for the procedure and organ extraction. However, a robotic surgical system enables the surgeon to work with much smaller incisions, making the procedure much less invasive, reducing various risks in the process. This is possible due to very small surgical tools attached to a robotic arm. The surgeon controls the robotic arm and directs its movements from the console. The small, precise movements that are possible with this type of surgery give it a huge advantage over standard surgical techniques.

Benefits & Risks of Robotic Surgery

Robotic transplantation surgery has multiple advantages over traditional surgeries, like smaller incisions, less pain, less blood loss, faster recovery and subsequently, a shorter hospital stay, and better cosmetic results. Additionally, robotic surgery can be used for both – the extraction of the organ from a living donor, as well as the transplantation.

Laparoscopic surgeries have certain limitations –

1. 2-D view
2. Limited range of tools compared to robotic surgeries.

However, there are some of the same risks associated with it as with traditional or laparoscopic surgeries.

1. Risk of infection
2. Cardiopulmonary risks from anesthesia
3. Risk of injury and bleeding or the need of transfusion

But it’s important to note that all of the mentioned risks are applicable to all surgeries. The only risk specific to robotic surgeries is system failure that happens in less than 1% of the cases. Conclusively, robotic surgery is the safest option compared to traditional surgeries and has more benefits than risks.

Robotic surgery for patients with co-morbidities

Immunocompromised and obese patients, or those with co-morbidities hypertension and Type II diabetes, are often not considered to be good candidates for major surgeries like transplants, due to the associated risks. Robotic surgery can be a boon for these patients, as it substantially reduces the risk of excessive bleeding and infections.

Connect with our expert, Dr. Amolkumar Patil, Lead and Senior Consultant – Urology, Kidney Transplant and Robotics, Apollo Hospitals, Navi Mumbai for further information on robotic kidney transplantation surgery.

Call 022 6280 6280 for an appointment.