IOWA CITY, Iowa (WOI) – The University of Iowa’s headway in robotic kidney removal surgery is expected to increase donor eligibility, WOI reports.
The Iowa Donor Network reports that almost 600 Iowans are on a waitlist for a new organ. Nearly 90 percent of those people are in need of a new kidney.
Dr. Ramy El-Diwany, a surgeon with University of Iowa Health Care, performed the hospital’s first robotic kidney removal on a living patient in December. The surgery involves looking at the patient on a camera and operating robotic arms with controls, which allows the surgeon to operate without touching inside the body with their hands.
El-Diwany says this type of surgery will open eligibility for donations. The robotic arms are more precise with blood vessels and divide them to give extra length, making both donor and recipient surgery easier to do.
In addition, people with more complex bodies or higher weights who weren’t able to donate before might be able to with the robotic surgery.
“What this means is there are some people that are like maybe so-so, and anatomy wise, like ‘maybe we could make this work with the laparoscope, but probably not. So let’s just avoid doing it.’ Now, it’s like, ‘Oh yeah, we could totally do this and make it work with the robot,’” El-Diwany said.
He said robotic surgery is not standard practice right now, as general surgeons don’t need to practice it to be board certified. But he believes that is changing.
“I think over time, as more younger surgeons are being trained, they are able to use the robot. It’ll start creeping into all sorts of places,” he said.
El-Diwany said his next goal is to put in a kidney with the technology. He has also learned robotic surgeries on the liver, bile ducts and gallbladder.