Surgical Robotics Technology
A surgical team at NYU Langone Health has performed the first fully robotic double lung transplant in the world. The procedure marks a breakthrough in the potential of robotic surgery and minimally invasive patient care, making NYU Langone the new leader in robotic transplant surgery around the globe.
Stephanie H. Chang, MD, associate professor in the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery at NYU Grossman School of Medicine and surgical director of the Lung Transplant Program for the NYU Langone Transplant Institute, led the minimally invasive procedure. Her team transplanted both lungs into a 57-year-old woman with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) using the da Vinci Xi robotic system at each stage. Small incisions were made between the ribs then the robotic system was used to remove the lung, prepare the surgical site for implantation, and implant the new lung. Both lungs were transplanted using these robotic techniques.
The transplant was performed on Oct. 22, 2024, just four days after patient Cheryl Mehrkar was added to the lung transplant list following several months of evaluation by Jake G. Natalini, MD, assistant professor in the Department of Medicine’s Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, and Luis F. Angel, MD, medical director of lung transplantation for the NYU Langone Transplant Institute. Dr. Chang was assisted by Travis C. Geraci, MD, assistant professor in the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, and Eugene A. Grossi, MD, the Stephen B. Colvin, MD, Professor of Cardiothoracic Surgery.
“I’m so grateful to the donor and their family for giving me another chance at life,” said Mehrkar. “For a long time, I was told I wasn’t sick enough for a transplant. The team at NYU Langone Health centered my quality of life as a priority, and I’m so grateful to the doctors and nurses here for giving me hope.”
Mehrkar, who inherited a genetic predisposition to lung disease, was diagnosed with COPD in 2010 at 43 years old. Her condition worsened after a bout with COVID-19 in 2022. Throughout her life, she has been an active thrill-seeker, traveling the world as a scuba divemaster, becoming an avid motorcyclist, and earning her karate black belt with her husband, Shahin. The couple owned a dojo for over 20 years, and she had a passion for teaching before her health sidelined her. After retiring from karate, she became a volunteer emergency medical technician with the Union Vale Fire Department in Dutchess County, New York. She remains active in the department to give back to her community.
“It is one of the greatest privileges to be able to help patients return to a healthy quality of life,” said Dr. Chang. “By using these robotic systems, we aim to reduce the impact this major surgery has on patients, limit their postoperative pain, and give them the best possible outcome. It couldn’t happen here without a talented group of surgeons and an institution dedicated to moving transplantation forward.”
Just a month earlier, NYU Langone announced Dr. Chang performed the first fully robotic single lung transplant in the nation. Now her team is the global leader in lung transplantation surgery.
Source: NYU Langone Health
