Robots have been used to perform kidney transplants for the first time in the UK. One of the patients, who had previously undergone a kidney transplant by traditional open surgery, reported significantly less pain with the robotic method. Another patient reported a faster post-operative recovery time. Both the patients were reportedly able to recover using only paracetamol rather than morphine.

• Transplant surgeon Nizam Mamode led the team performing the operations using the hospital’s Vinci Xi robots. he said  “The first kidney transplant took place in 1954 and things haven’t changed since then – to this day the procedure is still routinely performed using open surgery. Open surgery involves making a large incision in the abdomen – it is very painful and the patient can take weeks to recover.

• “Using a robot to help us perform keyhole surgery completely changes the landscape of transplant surgery – it significantly reduces pain and recovery time.

• The surgical team was mentored for the procedures by robot surgery expert Professor Pranjal Modi, of the Institute of Kidney Diseases and Research Centre in Ahmedabad in India. He has carried out more than 250 laparoscopic robot-assisted kidney transplants. The team had already been to India to learn the technique from Professor Modi.