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Jun 28, 2018 / 12:25

Vietnam's hospital performs first-ever robot-assisted kidney removal surgery

Doctors at Cho Ray Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City have carried out kidney removal from living donors using robot-assisted laparoscopic surgery.

 
Surgeons at Cho Ray Hospital carry out kidney removal from living donors using robot-assisted laparoscopic surgery. Photo: Cho Ray Hospital
Surgeons at Cho Ray Hospital carry out kidney removal from living donors using robot-assisted laparoscopic surgery. Photo: Cho Ray Hospital
On June 27, Head of the hospital’s Department of Urology, Dr Thai Minh Sam said this is the first time that a kidney removal keyhole surgery has been done in Vietnam with the assistance of robot.
The first operation on May 16 was done on D.X.T, 53 years old, who donated his kidney to a 55-year-old relative.
The second operation on June 20 was on Nguyen Van T, 50 years old, who donated the kidney to his daughter, who is 27 years old.
There was no blood transfusion and no complication during the surgeries. The two donors were released from the hospital two days after surgery, said Dr.Sam.
Robot-assisted laparoscopic surgery significantly reduces blood loss, pain and recovery time, he said.
However, this method is first applied in Vietnam, typically in Cho Ray Hospital. The cost of robot-assisted surgery is high, ranging from VND90-120 million (US$3,900 to US$5,200) per surgery since it is not covered by the national health insurance scheme.
Cho Ray Hospital has performed 68 robot-assisted laparoscopic surgeries since it began using the surgical technique on October 23, 2017. It is expected that Cho Ray Hospital will continue to perform more cases of robot-assisted laparoscopic surgeries in the time ahead.