Surgeons at WashU Medicine and the Barnes-Jewish Transplant Center have reported what they describe as the world's first robotic combined liver and kidney transplant, performed through a single incision of roughly three inches instead of the 16 to 20 inch opening that conventional double transplant surgery requires.
The procedure was announced on September 2, 2026, and involved Darrell Bosworth of Martinsburg, Missouri, who developed failure of both organs as a result of advanced liver disease and cirrhosis. The operations took place in May.
