First US Patient Receives Robot-Assisted Dual Kidney Transplant

In March 2024, a 70-year-old woman from Cleveland, Ohio, became the first person in the United States to have a dual kidney transplant using a minimally invasive robotic surgical system. The procedure was performed by Mohamed Eltemamy, MD, at the Cleveland Clinic.

The patient, Joanne Kukula, had retired to North Carolina but returned to her hometown to be treated for multiple myeloma. The treatment was effective, but her kidneys were left seriously damaged by the disease. She was placed on the transplant waiting list and eventually received two small kidneys from a deceased donor.

Although surgeons in the Cleveland Clinic’s Kidney Transplant Program perform more than 300 transplants annually (10% of which are performed with robotic assistance), Kukula’s surgery was unusual because surgeons used the robotic surgical technique to implant two kidneys from a single deceased donor. This approach can extend the use of marginally effective kidneys from a list of expanded-criteria donors who would otherwise be ineligible, increasing the donor pool and shortening the waiting time to receive an organ.

Robot-guided surgery is usually performed through one small incision, resulting in less pain and a faster recovery compared with traditional surgery. Kukula was able to return home in 3 days with minimal pain.