Obesity with Robotic Technique
UI Health’s kidney transplant program is widely recognized for its expertise in transplanting obese patients with BMI over 30. This is particularly important because these patients are likely turned down at other centers due to having a BMI over 35, making UI Health their only option in the greater Chicagoland area. In fact, UI Health has transplanted the highest number of kidney transplants to patients with BMIs over 40 nationally with above average outcomes. We also have a program that allows patients living outside of the Illinois to be worked up in 6 weeks or less.
UI Health’s experienced surgeons perform robotic-assisted kidney transplantation in the setting of obesity; this technique has been proven safe and effective, with the advantage to reduce the size of the incisions, minimizing the risk of surgical complications and surgical site infections. Several transplant programs over the years visited UI Health over the years to implement the technique. In September 2020, UI Health opened a Surgical Innovation and Training Laboratory making UI Health one of the most advanced robotic surgery programs in the world.
For obese patients who are not candidates for robotic assisted kidney transplants, mostly due to vascular calcifications, we can perform a panniculectomy at the time of transplant. This technique has been proven to reduce the rate of infection and improve the transplanted kidney’s outcome