MOSCOW, April 17 Spanish doctors performed the world's first fully robotic lung transplant operation, Vall d'Hebron Hospital in Barcelona announced.
«Vall d»Hebron performed the world's first fully robotic lung transplant,» the hospital tweeted.
As noted in the release of the medical institution, the operation involved the use of minimally invasive techniques. In addition, a new approach was created to remove the damaged lung and install a new organ, involving an 8-cm incision in the lower part of the sternum.
«This means that there is no longer a need to do a large opening, spreading the ribs and opening the chest, which until now was the only option available,» the release notes.
The operation was performed on a 65-year-old man in need of a lung transplant due to pulmonary fibrosis.
Doctors noted that the traditional chest-opening lung transplant approach is very invasive and requires a long and difficult patient recovery.
«This new technology in surgery will allow us to cut a small area of skin, fat and muscle, leaving a wound that can heal quickly. Not only is it much safer than the traditional method, but it is also virtually painless… This is a historic milestone, which we believe will improve the lives of thousands of patients,» said Albert Jauregui, head of the Department of Thoracic Surgery and Lung Transplantation at Vall d'Hebron.