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For patients facing kidney failure, getting a transplant is a life-saving option. Abdominal transplantation usually requires big incisions. Recovery can be difficult and prolonged, and traditional surgery can be challenging and sometimes not feasible for people with obesity due to risks associated with surgery.
In 2025, more than 27,000 kidney transplant surgeries were performed in the U.S. With more than 90,000 people still waiting for a kidney, finding solutions to make transplants more accessible is essential.
In September 2025, MedStar Georgetown Transplant Institute marked a major milestone toward that goal. For the first time in the Washington, D.C., and northern Virginia area, Dr Al-Qaoud and the team performed Robotic Assisted Kidney Transplantation (RAKT).
Advanced approaches such as robotic-assisted surgery help our transplant program make the process easier on patients while expanding access to people for whom surgery may not have been an option in the past.
What is robotic-assisted surgery?
During a robotic-assisted procedure, the surgeon controls a state-of-the-art surgical system. Sitting at a console in the operating room, the surgeon’s hand movements are translated into the robot’s surgical arms at the patient’s bedside.
Through a series of small incisions, the arms allow the surgeon to operate with incredible precision, such as:
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Magnified vision: High-definition cameras offer ten times magnification of tiny structures in the body—triple magnification compared to standard surgery.
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Articulating instruments: Robotic “hands” are much smaller than human hands, and they can rotate in different ways to enhance precision.
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Extra stability: Robotic arms are steadier than the human surgeon’s natural hands, increasing the impact of their surgical skill.
We’re using the da Vinci 5, the latest robotic assistant technology, which offers many times the computing power of earlier systems. In addition to high-resolution 3D imaging and workflow enhancements, new tactile feedback means surgeons can feel how patient tissues respond to robotic instruments, improving precision in delicate procedures.
A faster path to recovery.
Because the robotic-assisted approach uses smaller incisions, recovery is often smoother and quicker than with traditional surgery. In addition to smaller scars, patients may have:
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Less pain: Patients often are up and moving sooner, sometimes while taking only over-the-counter pain relievers—no narcotics.
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Shorter stays: Some patients may be able to go home the second day after surgery.
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Quicker return to life: Patients might also be able to return to work and their normal routines sooner than after an open surgery.
Related: Read: “How Minimally Invasive Living Kidney Donation Can Save a Life.”
Expanding access for more people.
One of the most exciting benefits of offering robotic-assisted kidney transplant surgery is that we’re able to help more patients. Specifically, we can now offer an option for those with obesity or a high body mass index (BMI).
National data show that patients with high BMIs are often disadvantaged on the transplant waitlist. Many U.S. transplant centers deny transplants to patients with obesity because their risk of complications from traditional/open surgery is higher.
Robotic-assisted surgery changes this equation. Because this surgery only requires a few small incisions, the risk of wound infections and other complications is much lower. That means we’re now able to offer transplants to patients for whom traditional surgery would be considered too risky.
The future of robotic transplantation.
MedStar Health is also working toward a comprehensive robotic transplant program that will benefit patients seeking liver and pancreas transplants.
To make this exciting program a reality, our team recently visited King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Center in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. There, we observed the world’s leading robotic liver transplant program so we can bring these advanced techniques home to MedStar Health patients.
Today, we’re leaders in performing robotic-assisted procedures for living donors and for kidney transplants because these planned, controlled surgeries enable us to refine our procedures. Our goal is to offer these surgeries around the clock, whether an organ comes from a donor who is living or deceased. This expansion will enable us to provide the most advanced, least invasive care to even more people.
Shared commitment to the gift of life.
Transplant surgery is a unique field because one individual can make a life-saving moment possible for another. MedStar Health is proud to be at the forefront of robotic-assisted transplant technology in our region. These new tools enable us to help more people get back to their lives, their families, and their health sooner, with fewer risks and better recovery.
