Recent advances in robotic surgical technology have enabled application to complex surgical procedures. Following extensive institutional experience with major robotic liver resections, we determined that it was safe to apply this technology to right lobe donor hepatectomy (RLDH). The procedure was performed using the Da Vinci Robotic Surgical System, in an entirely minimally invasive fashion, during which the liver graft was safely extracted through a limited lower abdominal incision. Both donor and recipient recovered well, without acute complications. To our knowledge, this is the first case reported in the literature. The technical feasibility of this minimally invasive approach is demonstrated, exemplifying the novel exciting opportunities offered by robotic technology.

Background: One of the perceived major drawbacks of minimally invasive techniques has always been its cost. This is especially true for the robotic approach and is one of the main reasons that has prevented its wider acceptance among hospitals and surgeons. The aim of our study was to evaluate the clinical outcomes and economic impact of robotic and open liver surgery in a single institution. Methods: Sixty-eight robotic and 55 open hepatectomies were performed at our institution between January 1, 2009 and December 31, 2013. Demographics, perioperative data, and postoperative outcomes were collected and compared between the two groups. An independent company performed the financial analysis. The economic parameters comprised direct variable costs, direct fixed costs, and indirect costs. Results: Mean estimated blood loss was significantly less in the robotic group (438 versus 727.8 mL; P = .038). Overall morbidity was significantly lower in the robotic group (22% versus 40%; P = .047). Clavien III/IV complications were also lower, with 4.4% in the robotic versus 16.3% in the open group (P = .043). The length of stay in the intensive care unit (ICU) was shorter for patients who underwent a robotic procedure (2.1 versus 3.3 days; P = .004). The average total cost, including readmissions, was $37,518 for robotic surgery and $41,948 for open technique. Conclusions: Robotic liver resections had less overall morbidity, ICU, and hospital stay. This translates into decreased average costs for robotic surgery. These procedures are financially comparable to open resections and do not represent a financial burden to the hospital.

Despite increasing obesity rates in the dialysis population, obese kidney transplant candidates are still denied transplantation by many centers. We performed a single‐center retrospective analysis of a robotic‐assisted kidney transplant (RAKT) cohort from January 2009 to December 2018. A total of 239 patients were included in this analysis. The median BMI was 41.4 kg/m², with majority (53.1%) of patients being African‐American, and 69.4% of organs sourced from living donors. The median surgery duration and warm ischemia times were 4.8 hours and 45 minutes respectively. Wound complications (mostly seromas and hematomas) occurred in 3.8% of patients, with 1 patient developing a surgical site infection (SSI). Seventeen (7.1%) graft failures, mostly due to acute rejection were reported during follow up. Patient survival was 98% and 95%, while graft survival was 98% and 93%, at 1 and 3‐years respectively. Similar survival statistics were obtained from patients undergoing open transplant over the same time period from the UNOS database. In conclusion, RAKT can be safely performed in obese patients with minimal SSI risk, excellent graft function and patient outcomes comparable to national data. RAKT could improve access to kidney transplantation in obese patients due to the low surgical complication rate.

Background. To increase living donation for kidney transplantation, we investigated desensitization of recipients with positive crossmatch against a potential living donor. Methods. Between June 2001 and March 2007, 57 consecutive sensitized candidates for kidney transplantation, with crossmatch positive potential living donors, were treated with various desensitization protocols. All patients received plasmapheresis every other day with intravenous immune globulin 100 mg/kg starting 1 week before the scheduled transplant. Postoperatively, the recipients continued to receive every other day plasmapheresis with intravenous immune globulin for the initial week. Immunosuppression therapy consisted of induction with thymoglobulin and a combination of tacrolimus, mycophenolate, and corticosteroids. Results. Six patients failed to convert with pretransplant immunomodulation and were not transplanted; 51 underwent live donor kidney transplant. Mean follow-up was 23 months and 36 patients have more than 1-year follow-up. One-year patient and graft survivals were 95% and 93%, respectively. There were 25 episodes of biopsy-proven or clinically presumed rejection in 22 patients in the first year. Of the 17 biopsy-proven episodes, 12 were antibody-mediated rejection and five were acute cellular rejection. Of the patients with antibody-mediated rejection (biopsy proven or empiric), two patients (12%) lost their graft by 1 year. The median modification of diet in renal disease at 6 and 12 months was 55 mL/min (range 9–104 mL/min) and 48 mL/min (range 8–99), respectively. Conclusions. Despite increased rejection rates, graft and patient survivals indicate that desensitization of positive crossmatch patients is a reasonable alternative for a sensitized patient who could potentially wait 10 or more years for a suitable cadaveric kidney.

Obesity represents a barrier to kidney transplantation, but the increasing prevalence among renal failure patients has forced some centers to carefully consider such candidates. Morbidly obese patients may be at increased risk of delayed graft function, higher postoperative complications, and inferior graft outcomes. Nevertheless, mortality on the waiting list remains significantly higher than after transplant. We have applied minimally invasive surgery to perform kidney transplant in individuals with body mass index (BMI) of 40 kg/m or greater. We compared our results to the national United Network of Organ Sharing database. The United Network of Organ Sharing registry was reviewed for adult living donor kidney transplant recipients with BMI of 40 kg/m or greater performed from September 2009 to December 2014. We compared transplants performed with robotic technique (RKT) versus patients performed with open surgery at all US centers including our own (open kidney transplant). Subgroup analysis in patients with BMI of 45 kg/m or greater was conducted. We compared outcomes including patient and graft survival, renal function, and technical complications. Robotic kidney transplantation group had a significantly higher mean BMI overall. The 1-year patient and graft survival rates were similar between groups. Renal function was also similar at 6, 12, and 36 months. Thrombosis caused 1.3% of the graft losses in open kidney transplant and 0% in the RKT group. Interestingly, 52.8% of the overall experience in patients with BMI of 45 kg/m or greater was performed with the robotic technique. Robotic surgery offers similar patient and graft survivals with comparable renal function to open technique. Robotic kidney transplantation permits transplantation in extreme BMI categories without additional technical complications. Further studies are required to establish the role of RKT for obese candidates but preliminary data are encouraging.