South Africa successfully implemented the first robotic-assisted donor kidney removal surgery.

Stellenbosch University in South Africa recently announced that they have successfully completed the country's first robotic-assisted donor kidney removal surgery in collaboration with a hospital in South Africa. The surgery involved a 45-year-old mother donating a kidney to her 24-year-old daughter, and was performed by a joint team from Tygerberg Hospital in the Western Cape Province and Stellenbosch University. The team of urologists used a robotic platform to control 4 mechanical arms with extreme precision to perform the donor kidney removal surgery. The statement mentioned that the surgery took less than 90 minutes, the robotic platform made the incision smaller, reduced postoperative pain, and accelerated the recovery process. The mother, who was the donor, was discharged the next day, and the transplanted kidney to her daughter has started producing urine, indicating that the transplanted organ is functioning normally.