Surgeon performs Canada’s first robotic kidney transplant

EDMONTON – A surgeon at the University of Albert Hospital has performed Canada’s first robot-assisted kidney transplant. Dr. Max Levine (pictured) had been preparing a robot-assisted program of this kind for a year; his training included participation in a robotic kidney transplant masterclass in Belgium in November 2023. Moreover, an expert surgeon from the University of Maryland, in the U.S., came to observe and proctor and to ensure a smooth first case.

Dr. Levine’s patient, Carmen Newchuck, had contracted COVID-19 two years ago but still wasn’t fully recovered. She went to the hospital with chest and leg pains and discovered she was in full kidney failure.

“If I didn’t come in on that Monday on June 20th, I wouldn’t have been here the Wednesday,” Newchuck told CTV News.

She was suffering from a genetic condition – thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA). “That’s basically a form of anemia. It attacks the blood cells and causes kidney damage,” said Newchuck.

A life saving donor would have to be found not only matching with her blood type, but also the tissues and cells. As it turned out, her husband was a perfect match. “Long shot, but it came through. It was nice to be able to do this for each other and not have to involve anyone else and have them make a sacrifice,” said Ernie Peters, Newchuck’s husband and kidney donor.

Newchuck said Dr. Levine, a kidney transplant surgeon at the University of Alberta Hospital, reached out to her offering a robotics surgery that’s used in other operations, but hadn’t been tried before in a kidney transplant. He said it offers faster recoveries, smaller incisions and lower risk of complications with the wound.

“With robotic assisted surgery, you are able to do all that surgery inside with a camera without making a large opening externally to get all instruments in,” said Dr. Levine.

Typically, an incision for a transplant could be between 15 and 30 centimetres long, while the robotic surgery makes about five two-and-a-half centimetre cuts.

“You know, there’s days that I feel like I haven’t even had surgery other than the side effects from the anti-rejection medication,” said Newchuck. It’s been six weeks since her surgery, and she said it’s worth it.

“Thanks to my husband, I have a healthy kidney,” she said. Dr. Levine commented that she is recovering faster than expected, adding he’s looking to do more procedures so that more patients benefit from this new technology.

Dr. Levine noted, “The success of the program is really a reflection of our strong robotics program at the UofA, as well as the support provided by our OR nursing team lead (Ryan Amyotte) who was instrumental in the preparation for this case (which spanned several months prior to the surgery itself) as well as the support from surgical site leadership at the UAH and the renal transplant program as a whole. The next cases will likely be in the fall as we evaluate the early outcomes of the first few cases and work on improving case efficiencies for the future.”