NYU Langone Achieves Revolutionary Milestone with World’s First Fully Robotic Double Lung Transplant
In a groundbreaking medical achievement, surgeons at NYU Langone Health successfully performed the world’s first fully robotic double lung transplant in October 2024. The patient was discharged on November 21, 2024, marking a significant milestone in the field of transplant surgery.
The historic procedure was performed on Cheryl Mehrkar, a 57-year-old woman suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Remarkably, the operation took place just four days after she was placed on the lung transplant waiting list.
Dr. Stephanie H. Chang, the surgical director of NYU Langone’s Lung Transplant Program, led the team. They utilized the da Vinci Xi robotic system to make small incisions between the ribs, removing the diseased lungs and implanting healthy donor organs with unprecedented precision.
“By using these robotic systems, we aim to reduce the impact this major surgery has on patients, limit their postoperative pain, and give them the best possible outcome,” said Dr. Chang.
The minimally invasive approach promises faster healing times and shorter hospital stays compared to traditional open-chest procedures.
This milestone makes NYU Langone only the third program worldwide to use robotic systems in lung transplantation. This follows Vall d’Hebron Barcelona Hospital’s first robotic lung transplant in 2023. The achievement represents what leaders call a “watershed moment in lung transplantation surgery worldwide.”
Source: NYU Langone News