The article “Robotic kidney transplantation: one year after the beginning” by Alberto Breda, Angelo Territo, Lluis Gausa, et al. discusses the topic of an innovative method of kidney transplantation with robotic assistance. The objective of this research was to evaluate several robotic-assisted kidney transplantation surgeries within one facility (Breda, et al., 2017).
On the end-stage renal disease (ESRD), there is a high chance of morbidity and mortality; therefore, there is a high need for kidney transplantation. For 80 years, kidney transplantation has been successfully performed on people and has been improving since then (Breda et al., 2017). Surgery with minimum invasion carries many positive outcomes like shorter recovery, less postoperative pain, and minimal chance of infections. The robotic assistance “The Da Vinci surgical system” (dVSS®) can provide all the above and more. Therefore, the article presents an analysis of 17 robotic-assisted kidney transplantation for people with ESRD.
In the methodology section, the authors state that for the study, the clinic performed pilot robotic-assisted surgeries from laparoscopic live donor nephrectomy (Breda, et al., 2017). It is also stated that the study received approval from the local Ethics Committee. The criteria for choosing a donor were very specific. This section describes a detailed process of surgery with a unique RAKT surgical technique.
As for the results, the authors included the mean age of the donors and the measures required for the transplantation. They provide operative data in a separate table in a detailed manner. It included surgical console time, blood loss, overall ischemia time, and rewarming. As a result, after the operation, there were no indicative major surgical/vascular intra-operative complications (Breda, et al., 2017).
In the discussion section, the analysis of how such an advanced system like dVSS® allowed to improve the quality and effectiveness of kidney transplantation is presented. According to the authors, such features as “three-dimensional vision, superb Fig. Magnification (12×), control of the camera by the surgeon, elimination of human tremor, and seven freedom degrees of movements” helped facilitate and enhance the surgical process of transplantation (Breda et al., 2017). The percentage of possible complications is as high as 4%. The only limitation for RAKT is that it is impossible to perform the surgery on a deceased person.
Robot-assisted kidney transplantation is indeed a breakthrough for the medical industry; however, it still requires a high level of expertise. Surgeons who are qualified for using robotic assistance are only allowed to use this system. Such technical advances have many advantages and facilitations to traditional surgery. It uses a unique technique of surgery that helps ease the recovery process for the patients.
The research topic of the article “Kidney Transplantation” by Adam D Barlow is entirely focused on kidney transplantation and its surgical evolution as well as different methods of performing such surgery. As renal transplantation is the most efficient way of prolonging life for patients with end-stage renal failure, the demand for organs is high (Barlow 2017). It is stated that the surgical process of kidney transplantation has significantly improved over the years; however, it became more complicated with new diseases.
The article describes the history of renal transplantation and the conditions when it can be performed. The authors state that surgical kidney transplantation is safer and has higher survival rates than dialysis (Barlow 2017). Kidney transplants must have optimal HLA matching with the deceased donor as it plays a vital role in the outcome of the surgery. For deceased donor renal transplants, optimal HLA matching. The article lists all the possible ways of kidney donations and obligatory requirements for the donor. The recipients of kidney transplants receive immunosuppression to prevent rejection and loss of the transplant (Barlow 2017).
The procedure of the surgery is described in detail. Two methods of the incision are mentioned: the Rutherford Morison and the Gibson or Hockey stick incision. The article also mentions different types of transplantations, like dual and pediatric.
For surgeons performing kidney transplantation, the main goal is to have constant access to unlimited numbers of organs for the potential recipients. This field urges for continuous development and enhancement.
References
Barlow, A. D. (2017). Kidney transplantation. Surgery (Oxford), 35(7), 378–384. Web.
Breda, A., Territo, A., Gausa, L., Rodríguez-Faba, O., Caffaratti, J., León, J. P. D., … Villavicencio, H. (2017). Robotic kidney transplantation: one year after the beginning. World Journal of Urology, 35(10), 1507–1515. Web.