Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi makes history with Gulf region’ s first robotic lung transplant

Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi has made history by performing the Gulf region’ s first-ever robotic lung transplant, making it one of only five centres worldwide to have carried out this surgery.

With this landmark complex procedure, two patients have now successfully undergone robotic lung transplants, marking a major milestone in the region’ s advanced surgical and organ transplant capabilities.

Both patients had idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis( IPF) as well as secondary pulmonary hypertension, a progressive condition that gradually scars the lungs and makes breathing increasingly difficult. Dr Usman Ahmad, Chair of Thoracic Surgery, performed the complex robotic procedures along with a multi-disciplinary team of experts including Drs Yusuf Bayrak, Andres Obeso, Binu Esaw, Arun Kumar and pulmonary experts Drs Fadi Hamed, Said Isse and Miriam Mihalechkova.

These surgeries were particularly complex due to pulmonary hypertension, a condition that puts extra strain on the heart and lungs. To support the patients during the operation, the medical team used Veno-Arterial ECMO, a technique that temporarily takes over the work of the heart and lungs while the damaged lungs are replaced.

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