For the first time ever, US surgeons have successfully transplanted a human heart using only robotic tools.
This procedure was performed without opening the chest or cutting any bones, marking a significant milestone.
In March at Baylor St Luke’s Medical Centre in Houston, a 45-year-old man suffering from advanced heart failure received this revolutionary treatment. Hospitalised since November 2024 and reliant on multiple mechanical devices, his story underscores the transformative potential of robotic surgery in saving lives.
Instead of opening the chest, surgeons employed a surgical robot to create small incisions and manoeuvre through the preperitoneal space to remove the diseased heart and implant the donor organ, without cutting through the breastbone.
Lead surgeon Dr Kenneth Liao and his team made small, precise incisions, eliminating the need to open the chest and break the breastbone. Liao removed the diseased heart, and the new heart was implanted through the preperitoneal space, avoiding chest incision.
Dr Liao is a professor and chief of cardiothoracic transplantation and circulatory support at Baylor College of Medicine and chief of cardiothoracic transplantation and mechanical circulatory support at Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Centre.
He said: ‘Opening the chest and spreading the breastbone can affect wound healing and delay rehabilitation and prolong the patient’s recovery, especially in heart transplant patients who take immunosuppressants.
‘With the robotic approach, we preserve the integrity of the chest wall, which reduces the risk of infection and helps with early mobility, respiratory function and overall recovery.
‘This transplant demonstrates what is possible when innovation and surgical expertise combine to enhance patient care. Our goal is to offer patients the safest, most effective and least invasive procedures, and robotic technology allows us to do that in extraordinary ways.’
Dr Bradley T Lembcke, hospital president, added: ‘Becoming the home of this medical breakthrough in robotic heart transplantation further establishes Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Centre as a worldwide health care leader. This pinnacle in heart transplantation brings great pride to our hospital. It adds to its legacy of medical achievements and caring for the most complex health conditions that only advanced healthcare systems can treat successfully.’
