Surgeons in Houston performed the first fully robotic heart transplant in the United States.
HOUSTON — Surgeons at Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center in Houston successfully performed the first fully robotic heart transplant in the United States.
Using a robot, lead surgeon Dr. Kenneth Liao and his team conducted the operation without opening the chest or breaking the breastbone. Instead, the team used small incisions to remove the diseased heart and implant the new one, avoiding a chest incision entirely.
“Opening the chest and spreading the breastbone can affect wound healing and delay rehabilitation and prolong the patient’s recovery, especially in heart transplant patients who take immunosuppressants,” Liao said. “With the robotic approach, we preserve the integrity of the chest wall, which reduces the risk of infection and helps with early mobility, respiratory function and overall recovery.”
According to the medical center, robotic heart transplantation helps avoid excessive bleeding caused by cutting bone and minimizes the need for blood transfusions, which in turn lowers the risk of the body developing antibodies against the new heart.
“This robotic heart transplantation represents a remarkable, giant step forward in making even the most complex surgery safer, and we are delighted to offer this great success to the world,” said Dr. Todd Rosengart, chair of the Michael E. DeBakey Department of Surgery at Baylor.
The patient, a 45-year-old man, had been hospitalized with advanced heart failure since November 2024 with support from multiple mechanical devices. He got the transplant in early March 2025 and was discharged a month later without complications.
“This transplant shows what is possible when innovation and surgical experience come together to improve patient care. Our goal is to offer patients the safest, most effective and least invasive procedures, and robotic technology allows us to do that in extraordinary ways,” Liao said.