A surgical team at NYU Langone Health has performed the first fully robotic double lung transplant in the world. The procedure is a major breakthrough in robotic surgery and minimally invasive patient care.

Innovation for Transplant Surgery

The robotic system that surgeons used to perform a double lung transplant; NYU Langone Staff

Dr. Stephanie H. Chang, surgical director of the Lung Transplant Program at NYU Langone Health, led the 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.

After surgeons made small incisions near the patient’s ribs, they used the robotic system to remove the lung and replace it with the implant. Both lungs were replaced using the robotic system. The transplant was performed four days after patient Cheryl Mehrkar was placed on the lung transplant list following several months of evaluation.

“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.”

“This latest breakthrough in robotic surgery speaks to the culture of innovation we’ve built by bringing the most talented people in their fields together,” said Dr. Robert Montgomery, director of the NYU Langone Transplant Institute. “Our Transplant Institute team pushes the field forward to better serve our patients and deliver the lifesaving care they need with the best patient experience.”

Leaders in Transplants

Cheryl Mehrkar, the patient who received the world’s first fully robotic double lung transplant; NYU Langone Staff

The institute performed 76 transplants in 2023 alone. The Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients rated it as the best nationwide for lung survival after transplant and for getting patients off the waitlist the fastest.

“This latest innovation is a watershed moment in lung transplantation surgery worldwide and just the beginning of a new era in patient care,” said Dr. Ralph S. Mosca, the Henry H. Arnhold Chair of Cardiothoracic Surgery.

Surgeons at NYU Langone are international leaders in robotic procedures. According to the institution, surgeons perform thousands of robotic procedures every year. NYU Langone experts have pioneered innovative robotic systems and continue to develop new ideas and technology.