Baylor St. Luke’s Achieves Robotic Heart Transplant Milestone

Baylor St. Luke's made history by completing the first fully robotic heart transplant in the United States.

A major development in cardiovascular medicine and surgical robotics has been achieved by Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center, as they carried out the first fully robotic heart transplant in the United States. Using a robot-assisted technique, the medical team replaced the patient's heart and implanted the donor heart without opening the chest or making a cut through the breastbone.

Tiny incisions were made through the preperitoneal region to complete the transplant. Particularly for heart transplant patients who take immunosuppressants, opening the chest and spreading the breastbone can slow down healing and make recovery harder, said Dr. Liao. The robotic approach maintains the integrity of the chest wall, lowers the risk of infection, and promotes early mobility, respiratory function, and quick recovery. The 45-year-old patient had been hospitalized since November 2024, due to significant heart failure. The patient required mechanical circulatory support to maintain the heart functioning prior to the transplant in March 2025. About a month after the surgery, the patient was able to go home without any issues. Robotic heart transplants have several advantages over traditional open-heart surgery. They can lessen severe bleeding and reduce the need for blood transfusions. This technique may lessen bleeding and the need for blood transfusions in addition to eliminating the dangers associated with opening the chest. This can lessen the development of antibodies that might make transplant results more difficult.

In 2024, Saudi Arabian hospital surgeons carried out the world's first fully robotic heart transplant on a 16-year-old patient and gained international recognition.