Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi has made history by performing the Gulf region’s first-ever robotic lung transplant, making it one of the five centres in the world to have performed this surgery.

With this landmark complex surgery, two patients have now successfully undergone robotic lung transplants, marking a major milestone in the region’s advanced surgical and organ transplant capabilities.

Both patients had idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) as well as secondary pulmonary hypertension, a progressive condition that gradually scars the lungs and makes breathing increasingly difficult.

These surgeries were quite complex due to pulmonary hypertension, a condition that puts extra strain on the heart and lungs. To support the patients during the operation, the medical team used Veno-Arterial ECMO, a technique that temporarily takes over the work of the heart and lungs while the damaged lungs are replaced.

These life-saving surgeries would not have been possible without the extraordinary generosity of organ donor families, whose selfless gifts make such transplants possible.

The hospital also acknowledges the critical role played by healthcare professionals from donor hospitals, the National Programme for Organ Donation and Transplantation – HAYAT, the Department of Health- Abu Dhabi, and the National Centre at the Ministry of Health and Prevention (MOHAP).

Further solidifying its leadership in regional transplant medicine, Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi has surpassed a significant milestone this year, completing over 60 lung transplants since the relaunch of the programme in 2022, establishing itself as the most advanced and active centre of its kind in the region.

These cases exemplify the programme’s potential and underscores Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi’s emergence as a global referral hub for patients with end-stage lung disease, including complex conditions such as Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease as well as Interstitial Lung Disease, Cystic Fibrosis, Pulmonary Hypertension, and Bronchiectasis.