Saudi medical milestone: Fully robotic living-donor liver transplant completed in global first
Latest news on WhatsApp أجدد الأخبار على واتسابKing Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Centre (KFSHRC) in Riyadh announced it has completed a fully robotic living-donor liver transplant, using robotics throughout both donor liver removal and transplantation into the recipient, in what the hospital described as a world first for a complete robotic pathway in living-donor liver transplantation.
According to KFSHRC, the recipient required two left liver lobes from two related living donors to ensure sufficient liver volume while preserving a safe residual liver volume for each donor, highlighting an approach designed to expand what can be safely achieved in living-donor transplantation while prioritizing donor safety.
KFSHRC said the surgery was completed successfully with no complications reported for either the donors or the recipient. The donors were discharged on the third day after surgery, while the patient was transferred out of intensive care after seven days and completed inpatient recovery under medical supervision.
Professor Dieter Broering, Executive Director of Organ Transplantation, said the procedure reflects a gradual expansion of robotic surgery in liver transplantation backed by years of accumulated expertise, aiming to enhance surgical safety, accelerate recovery, and improve long-term quality of life, with strict protection of donor safety at every stage.
