Vall d’Hebron performs the world’s first fully robotic lung transplant using a novel access route

In 2023, Vall d’Hebron Hospital achieved two global milestones in the field of lung transplants. For the first time, a lung was transplanted using a minimally invasive technique involving robotic surgery. In addition, a new access route was created to remove the diseased lungs and insert the new ones. This meant that it was not necessary to make a large opening by separating the ribs and opening up the thorax, which had been the only option available.

The technique traditionally used in lung transplants involves a highly aggressive approach with a very delicate postoperative period. The medication required after a transplant to prevent rejection suppresses the immune system for life, which increases the risk of postoperative infection. If an infection occurs, the wound sometimes fails to heal properly and has to be reopened to control it, which complicates the patient’s recovery.
 
This new technique, based on robotic surgery, provides greater precision, lower risk and a significantly simpler postoperative course. It was the first time in the world that robotic surgery was used throughout the entire procedure. The only precedent was at a hospital in the United States, where robotic surgery was used only in the final stage to suture the new lung to the airway and the major blood vessels.
 
Thanks to this global milestone, Vall d’Hebron’s lung transplant programme entered a new phase of minimally invasive surgery, offering multiple benefits for lung transplant recipients.