In Barcelona, Vall d'Hebron University Hospital has accomplished two significant achievements in the area of lung transplants. For the first time in surgical history, a group of professionals successfully conducted the procedure, utilizing a minimally invasive robotic surgery technique – endoscopy.
Additionally, a novel access route was established for the extraction of diseased lungs and insertion of new ones. The new access route necessitates only an 8-centimeter incision made in the lower section of the sternum, just above the diaphragm. Thus, it is no longer necessary to make a large 30-centimeter opening by separating the ribs and opening up the thorax, which was the only available option until now.
This pioneering procedure was performed on a 65-year-old man requiring a lung transplant due to pulmonary fibrosis.