Surgeons from Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center in Houston, Texas, performed the first recorded robotic heart transplant on an adult patient in the United States.
Robotic Transplant
Lead surgeon, Dr. Kenneth Liao, used a surgical robot to make small, precise incisions, eliminating the need to open the patient’s chest and break their sternum. According to the press release, Liao removed the patient’s heart and transplanted the new one without a chest incision. Liao says that there are many benefits to avoiding opening the chest.
“Opening the chest and spreading the breastbone can affect wound healing and delay rehabilitation and prolong the patient’s recovery, especially in heart transplant patients who take immunosuppressants,” said Liao. “With the robotic approach, we preserve the integrity of the chest wall, which reduces the risk of infection and helps with early mobility, respiratory function, and overall recovery.”
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In addition, robotic heart surgery avoids excessive bleeding and reduces the need for a blood transfusion, minimizing the risk of developing antibodies against the transplanted heart.
Before the transplant, researchers say, the 45-year-old patient had been hospitalized with advanced heart failure since November 2024. They say he had multiple mechanical devices supporting his heart. He received the robotic transplant in March 2025 and spent a month in the hospital recovering before going home without complications.
The hospital’s president, Dr. Bradley T. Lembcke, praised the surgical team’s efforts.
He 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 healthcare systems can treat successfully.”
“This transplant shows what is possible when innovation and surgical experience come together to improve patient care,” Liao added. “Our goal is to offer patients the safest, most effective, and least invasive procedures, and robotic technology allows us to do that in extraordinary ways.”
