Only about 20 similar robotic lung transplant procedures have been performed worldwide.
By Shula Rosen
Doctors at Beilinson Hospital (Rabin Medical Center) in Petah Tikva performed Israel’s first robot-assisted lung transplant, completing the procedure through small incisions rather than fully opening the patient’s chest in an effort to reduce pain, complications and recovery time.
Surgeons performed the transplant with the da Vinci surgical system, connecting the donor lung to the patient’s blood vessels and airways through keyhole incisions.
The technique avoided the rib spreading and extensive chest opening associated with conventional lung transplant surgery.
Only about 20 similar robotic lung transplant procedures have been performed worldwide.
Traditional lung transplant operations generally last between eight and 10 hours and can cause severe postoperative pain.
That pain can interfere with a patient’s ability to breathe deeply, cough and clear lung secretions, potentially increasing the risk of infections and extending recovery.
With the minimally invasive approach, medical teams aim to reduce those difficulties by limiting the physical trauma associated with opening the chest.
The technique is intended to decrease postoperative pain and complications while making it easier for patients to breathe, cough and clear secretions as they recover.
Dr. Yuri Peischowicz, head of Beilinson’s Department of Thoracic Surgery, led the operation and described the procedure as a significant development for transplantation in the country.
“Robotic lung transplantation is a turning point for lung transplants in Israel,” he said, noting that the technique makes it possible to perform the complex procedure with robotic precision and minimal incisions, rather than the extensive chest opening used for decades.
Peischowicz said the medical team hopes the approach will eventually replace conventional open-chest surgery as the standard method for lung transplantation.
“We aspire to make robotic surgery without opening the chest the accepted standard for lung transplantation within five years,” he added.
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