Roosevelt Hospital in Banská Bystrica has achieved a historic milestone in transplantation medicine by becoming the first hospital in Slovakia to perform a robot-assisted kidney removal from a living donor, which took place last week. The kidney was donated by a mother to her ill daughter, hospital spokesperson Ružena Maťašeje told TASR on Tuesday.
“Michaela, who is 28 years old, has been battling diabetes since childhood. As a result of the disease, her kidneys gradually failed and for several weeks their function had to be replaced by dialysis. Doctors recommended a transplant and asked whether there was anyone in the family willing to donate a kidney. Her mother did not hesitate for a second,” Maťašeje explained.
According to specialists, kidney removal is among the most technically demanding surgical procedures, mainly because it is necessary to preserve the longest possible vascular pedicle to ensure a safe and high-quality transplant. In this case, medical reasons required removal of the right kidney, where the blood vessels are shorter and the operation is significantly more complex, as it takes place in close proximity to the body’s main blood vessels.
“The use of the da Vinci robotic system allowed us to perform the organ removal with maximum precision, gentleness, and safety. We had better visibility in the surgical field, finer tissue manipulation, and greater control over the blood vessels, which significantly reduces the risk of complications. At the same time, it is a minimally invasive approach, with a smaller incision, faster healing, and shorter recovery for the donor,” explained physician Jozef Babeľa, who has been performing robotic surgeries since 2011.
Another major benefit of robotic removal is that the kidney is exposed to less pressure and manipulation during surgery, which positively affects its function after transplantation. Transplant specialists’ experience confirms that kidneys removed using minimally invasive methods often respond better and start functioning more quickly in the recipient’s body. Donor safety and the quality of the transplanted organ are the main reasons why robotic kidney removal is now considered one of the most modern and gentle methods available.
“Living with one kidney is fully adequate for the donor and practically without limitations. In most cases, donation does not affect quality of life and the risk of complications is low. Every potential donor undergoes thorough examinations that definitively determine whether donation is possible. After surgery, donors are monitored long-term by specialists and undergo preventive check-ups at least once a year, including blood tests and imaging examinations,” added Marcel Čellár, head of the nephrology and transplant department of the Second Internal Medicine Clinic of the Slovak Medical University.
Currently, around 370 patients in Slovakia are waiting for a kidney transplant. There is a shortage of organs from deceased donors, and minimizing risks during organ removal may help increase the number of living donors.
Source: STVR
