A robot named Da Vinci performed the world’s first lung transplant with a new, less invasive process that’s believed to lower post-op risks; a huge milestone for surgeons!
Barcelona, Spain (03 May, 2023) — In a massive move for technology and surgeons, the two worlds collided recently and successfully navigated a lung transplant performed by a robot named Da Vinci.
Does the name ring a bell for reasons beyond the famous artists and inventor? Cape Town has its own da Vinci Xi robot which tackled a cancerous tumour in Tygerberg last year.
Across the sea, Spain’s Da Vinci tackled its own incredible surgery recently. The Vall d’Hebron University Hospital saw a double milestone moment; a robot performed the lung transplant and a new less invasive access route was created for this kind of surgery.
There, the procedure assisted a 65-year-old man—who had endured pulmonary fibrosis—in getting a new lease on his lungs and become part of history in the process.
We present a new technique in lung surgery that represents an international and global advance. We do it together with Xavier, the first patient transplanted with robotic surgery and with a new, less invasive access route that allows a faster recovery”. —Manel Calcells, the Minister of Health of Catalonia.
The hospital shared:
“A new access route has been created through which diseased lungs can be removed and the new lungs can be inserted. The new access route, which requires a mere eight-centimetre incision, was made in the lower part of the sternum, just above the diaphragm.
This means it is no longer necessary to make a large opening by separating the ribs and opening up the thorax, which was the only available option until now.”
Why is it a big sigh of relief? Well, according to Dr Albert Jauregui, the head of the Thoracic Surgery and Lung Transplants Department at Vall d’Hebron University Hospital, opening up the thorax for a lung transplant procedure leads to “a very delicate post-operative period.”
The advancement is believed to lower post-operative risks of infection, especially if the wound doesn’t close or heal properly.
Here’s How It Works!
Someone call Busted, because this incredible move makes us question if we’re actually living in the year 3000.
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