Bellvitge announced at a press conference on Wednesday, 21 October 2026 that it performed the first such transplant in Europe through a single 7 cm incision with the Da Vinci SP robot. Europa Press says the technique had only been reported in Cleveland, United States.
Europa Press and El Mundo count four cases, while ABC counts three. The first patient, a 58-year-old woman, has been discharged and is recovering at home, according to ABC.
Urology head Oscar Buisan says the single incision replaces six incisions used in the older approach and reduces postoperative pain. Francesc Vigues calls it a clear benefit for patients, though only about 20 or 25 of roughly 50 yearly living-donor robotic cases could use it in the short term.
The Hospital Universitario de Bellvitge, in L'Hospitalet de Llobregat near Barcelona, says it has carried out the first kidney transplant in Europe from a living donor using robotic surgery through a single incision. The medical team presented the case at a press conference on Wednesday, 21 October 2026, alongside the first patient to receive the operation. According to the reports, the same procedure had previously been performed only in Cleveland, United States. The sources differ on when the first operation took place: Europa Press and ABC place it in September, while El Mundo gives July.
The procedure uses the Da Vinci SP (single port) platform, which Europa Press describes as operated from a console with a 360-degree range of movement. ABC reports that three micro-articulated instruments and a 3D endoscope pass through one incision and are guided by a single robotic arm. El Periodico says the new kidney enters the patient's abdomen through a seven-centimetre cut. Sources count the incisions of the older multiport method differently: El Periodico says six, ABC says three to five, and Europa Press describes six further openings added to a main incision. El Mundo notes that surgeons had to work through a new learning curve, although the team already had 300 robotic kidney transplants to its name.
Oscar Buisan, head of the urology department, summarised the gains in these words:
“There is only one scar, postoperative pain is reduced and the patient's functional recovery is accelerated.”
The first patient, a 58-year-old woman, has been discharged and is recovering at home with few after-effects, according to ABC. She is the first patient operated on with this technique, and her husband donated one of his kidneys to her while both were alive. Most outlets count four operations with the technique so far, while ABC counts three. Buisan compared the older approach with the new one:
“Before, we made six incisions. But with this technology, only one.”
Francesc Vigues, who leads the kidney transplant programme, called the technique a "clear benefit" for patients, pointing to fewer complications, less postoperative pain and faster recovery. He added that the single-incision approach is not suitable for every case, because each patient's anatomy and the donor kidney must be analysed first. He estimates that, of the roughly 50 living-donor robotic transplants the hospital performs each year, "at least 20 or 25" could be done with the single-port robot in the short term.
In 2025 Bellvitge led kidney transplants in Spain with 207 operations and also led living-donor transplants with 43, all of them performed with robotic surgery, El Mundo reports.
Data from the article text
“We have always bet on technological innovation for the benefit of patients.”
The hospital plans 350 to 400 single-port interventions by the end of 2026 and 500 to 600 in 2027. El Mundo says the robot is also used in gynaecology, thoracic surgery, general and digestive surgery, and otorhinolaryngology, in addition to urology.
Anna Manonelles, who runs the living-donor kidney transplant programme, said living donation is the "best" treatment option for kidney disease and that, when performed early, it can avoid dialysis. She noted that living-donor kidneys can last 10 to 12, or even 15, years, which she described as longer than the duration for deceased-donor kidneys. ABC notes that the size of the benefit compared with other techniques still has to be assessed through comparative studies.
Pollar is free and carries no ads in the text. Its members keep it going.
Support PollarHealth & Education · L'Hospitalet de Llobregat and Cleveland
The Bellvitge hospital in L'Hospitalet de Llobregat used the Da Vinci SP robot to implant a kidney from a living donor through one 7 cm incision, a technique reported until now only in Cleveland, United States.
AI text based on reports by EL MUNDO, europa press, El Periódico and other publishers. Published .