University of Illinois at Chicago Surgeons First to Use Robot for Living-Donor Kidney-Pancreas Transplant

The transplant of an organ is not an easy task. In the past, the donor would sustain a large scar and actually be at risk for hemorrhage and infection. However, today it is a different story. Surgeons report on the successful transplantation of a kidney and part of a pancreas for a man suffering from Type 1 diabetes and kidney failure. Robotic arms were used to remove the organs after a small incision was made in the patient's abdomen. The transplant was successful and both the recipient and donor are in good condition. "Surgeons at the University of Illinois Medical Center at Chicago are the first in the world to use robotic surgery to successfully remove a kidney and pancreas from a living-donor as part of a successful transplantation." Wonderful!