Robot-assisted kidney transplantation: Initial experience from a tertiary hospital in China

Robot-assisted kidney transplantation (RAKT) has currently become an effective alternative to open kidney transplantation (OKT), which has long been considered the gold standard for kidney transplant surgery. This study aimed to summarize our initial experience with RAKT and explore its safety and feasibility.

Ten cases of RAKT, including 8 cases of deceased-donor kidney transplantation and 2 cases of living-donor kidney transplantation, were performed at our center from March 2023 to November 2023. Perioperative clinical data and follow-up results of patients were collected and statistically analyzed.

All RAKT surgeries were performed successfully with no complications. The average operative time was 297.90 ± 65.59 minutes, and the median estimated blood loss was 100 mL. The average serum creatinine level decreased from 918.14 ± 166.63 μmol/L preoperatively to 109.89 ± 29.89 μmol/L at discharge. The postoperative outcomes of RAKT from both deceased and living donors were satisfactory during the follow-up period.

Robot-assisted kidney transplantation is an effective alternative to OKT and is suitable for both deceased- and living-donor kidney transplantations. The short-term postoperative follow-up results were satisfactory, and the postoperative complications were acceptable. Robot-assisted kidney transplantation appears to be a safe and feasible procedure for transplantation teams skilled in OKT and robot-assisted surgery. This study is an exploratory research providing preliminary experience, and future large-sample controlled studies are needed to further verify its safety.