Robotic-Assisted Lung Transplantation: First in Man

Lung transplantation remains the best option for patients with end-stage lung disease. Despite improving outcomes, the procedure confers significant morbidity risk. This paper presents a single right-sided lung transplant in a sixty-nine-year-old recipient utilizing the Da Vinci robotic system. The patient had a diagnosis of end-stage choleric obstructive pulmonary disease refractory to medical management and was oxygen dependent at baseline. The authors describe their perioperative planning, intraoperative details, and the course of the patient following transplantation and at the eighteen month follow up.