𝘙𝘦𝘭𝘢 𝘏𝘰𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘴 𝘈𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘎𝘭𝘰𝘣𝘢𝘭 𝘔𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘍𝘪𝘦𝘭𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘙𝘰𝘣𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘤 𝘚𝘶𝘳𝘨𝘦𝘳𝘺
- In a groundbreaking World’s first, Rela Hospital has successfully performed a Robotic Liver Transplant on the youngest recipient to date—a five-year-old child. This historic surgery marks a major milestone in the field of robotic and paediatric transplant surgery, combining cutting-edge technology with complex surgical expertise to deliver faster recovery and improved outcomes.
The patient (recipient), a five-year-old boy, was diagnosed with a rare genetic condition called Urea Cycle Defect, in which the liver cannot properly process proteins from food, leading to a harmful buildup of ammonia in the blood—a condition that can severely affect the brain. A liver transplant offered a definitive cure. The surgery proceeded smoothly without any complications, and the child was discharged within a week. In contrast, the conventional approach typically requires a hospital stay of 14 to 21 days.
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The fact that the robotic surgery was performed on a child makes this achievement even more significant, as pediatric bodies offer far less space than adults’, posing greater challenges for the insertion and maneuvering of robotic instruments. Remarkably, even the procedure to harvest a portion of the liver from a living donor was carried out using robotic assistance. The donor also had a brief hospital stay and was discharged within five days.
Dr. Rajesh Rajalingam, Clinical Lead - HPB Surgery and Senior Consultant, HPB Surgery and Liver Transplantation, Rela Hospital, commented that robotic surgery offers precision and safety in addition to minimizing pain and hospital stay and, in our centre, more than 400 live liver donors enjoyed this technological advancement. Moving forward, performing a complex surgery like liver transplantation robotically is a major breakthrough in the field of minimally invasive surgery. We are very happy to transfer the advantage this robotic technology offers to children undergoing liver transplantation, who would benefit the most. Witnessing both mother and her son being discharged within a week after a successful transplant utilising the robotic platform of minimally invasive surgery, each bearing a very small surgical scar, is a profound testament to the strength of familial bonds and the advancements of modern medicine.
In his remarks, Dr. Naresh Shanmugam, Director - Women and Child Health & Senior Consultant- Paediatric Gastroenterology & Hepatology, Rela Hospital, said, “Despite strict protein restriction and medication, the child experienced frequent, severe episodes requiring hospitalization. Liver transplantation became the only curative treatment. By performing this highly complex auxiliary liver transplant robotically, we have significantly reduced the hospital stay from the usual 14-21 days with open surgery down to just 7 days. The child was also able to return to a normal, unrestricted protein diet. Importantly, retaining a portion of the child’s native liver opens up future possibilities for targeted gene therapy as advancements continue. This success marks a promising step forward in treating metabolic liver diseases with minimally invasive techniques.”