Texas Man Gets First US Robotic Heart Transplant
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
The first fully robotic heart transplant in the United States was performed at Baylor St. Luke's Medical Center in Houston in March this year, according to an announcement by the hospital released on Tuesday.
Why It Matters
According to News in Health, the monthly magazine of the federal National Institutes of Health, "robotic surgery can lead to less pain and blood loss, smaller scars, and quicker recovery" than traditional surgery. The publication also reported it can be associated with fewer complications.
What To Know
On Tuesday Baylor St. Luke's Medical Center said it had performed operation on March 15 on 45-year-old Tony Rosales Ibarra, a Lufkin man who had advanced heart failure.
Robotic surgery is typically performed by a robotic arm, fitted with surgical instruments and a 3D camera, that is controlled by a surgeon via a joystick and foot pedals. The surgeon does not need to make any direct contact with the patient. The robots do not operate autonomously.
The operation was conducted by cardiothoracic surgeon Dr Kenneth Liao who told the Houston Chronicle that there had not been any complications in Ibarra's recovery.
Ibarra said he agreed to the procedure as "I want to live" after being told it could improve his recovery.
According to the Houston Chronicle Baylor St. Luke's had been planning to conduct a fully robotic heart transplant for some time.
Dr Kenneth Liao (standing) and Tony Rosales Ibarra (sitting) in a photograph released by the Baylor St. Luke's Medical Center.
Dr Kenneth Liao (standing) and Tony Rosales Ibarra (sitting) in a photograph released by the Baylor St. Luke's Medical Center.
Baylor St. Luke's Medical Center
They concluded Ibarra was the ideal patient as he had already spent four months in hospital, meaning a less-invasive procedure would speed up his recovery time, and had a large heart increasing the number of potential donors.
Liao said he avoided performing a sternotomy, which involves cutting through the breastbone, instead making a five-inch cut above Ibarra's belly button then removing his old heart and implanting a new one via the abdomen.
He commented: "If we can stay away from the breastbone, that's a huge advantage."
Ibarra was admitted to Baylor St. Luke's in November 17 2024 after a 2022 stroke left him with heart failure. Earlier this month he was medically cleared to resume exercising and driving again.
Newsweek contacted Baylor St. Luke's Medical Center for comment via email on Wednesday outside of regular office hours.
Robotic surgery is becoming increasingly common and was described by Dr Majid Al Fayyadh, CEO of Saudi Arabia's King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre, as "the future of health care" in an article for Newsweek in April.
The world's first fully robotic heart transplant took place in Saudi Arabia in 2024.
The Jupiter Medical Center in Florida began performing robotic surgeries in 2010 and earlier this year completed its 10,000th operation using this technique.
What People Are Saying
Speaking to the Houston Chronicle Ibarra said: "I told the doctors 'Do what you've got to do to save me. restrictions. I want to live.'
He added: "I didn't know I was going to be the first one. I'm amazed."
Dr Liao said: "I think this will be the future, and will hopefully someday become the standard of practice."
Baylor St. Luke's Medical Center President Dr Bradley T. Lembcke said: "This pinnacle in heart transplantation brings great pride to our hospital and adds to its legacy of medical achievements and caring for the most complex health conditions that only advanced health care systems can treat successfully."
However robotic surgery is not without its critics. In October 2024 the Royal College of Surgeons of England published an article by Professor T.A. Rockall, a consultant general surgeon who described claims robotic surgery can improve efficiency as "ill-informed rhetoric."
Rockall said: "Cash-strapped hospitals are spending large amounts of money on robotic technology that could clearly be better spent elsewhere."
What Happens Next
Medical experts expect fully robotic surgery will become increasingly common due to its advantages over traditional surgery in terms of patient recovery time and reduced complications.
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