The human touch of robotic kidney transplant

December 1, 2022

At 138 KG, Manoj Kumar, a businessman from Gurdaspur lumbered through life, facing the specter of several diseases. Still, he plowed on. Years and pounds kept adding up and weighing him down, eventually giving him diabetes, hypertension and sleep apnea. Almost as a matter of course, his sugar levels spiked in 2019. A check-up revealed protein in the urine. His Keratine levels were up and doctors suggested a kidney transplant.

Buying time was a bad idea

Like most people, getting a kidney transplant done seemed to be a monumental step at the time and the family wanted to explore other options. “Someone known to us suggested a homeopathy course, assuring that it would be a holistic cure for his kidney issues. We took homeopathy for three years and in that time, his condition worsened. Not only did the damage in the affected kidney exacerbate, his other kidney also got damaged,” said Keshav Mahajan, Manoj’s son.

In what turned out to be a providential turn of events, a relative and an acquaintance suggested that they meet Dr Priyadarshi Ranjan in Mohali. “We were told that he was among the top 10 doctors in the country,” Keshav said. Although the family kept a strong face and supported each other through the ordeal, inwardly, they all felt a pang of fear at the thought of dialysis – which seemed to be a likelihood at this point.

there when he needed them. The result, he is now 88 kg and focused on fitness.

How did the robotic kidney transplant help?

A robotic kidney transplant does not involve any big incision and does not cut any major muscle either. What’s more – there is no blood loss or pain, due to which patients are able to get back on their feet in no time.

A healing touch

Seeing his patient healed and looking forward to life gives Dr Priyadarshi Ranjan a satisfaction he cannot fully describe. The joy in his eyes says it all for him. He credits it all to the new technique that has made a normal life and swift recovery possible for kidney patients.

“The technique, with the flexible robotic arms that have much more scope of movement than human fingers, affords a quick and clean procedure that heals faster. Limited hospital stay and faster recovery also minimizes the economic and physical toll of the procedure,” he explains.

As a doctor, Dr Ranjan believes in giving each patient his very best as nature handles the rest. “A robot enables me to give my best to my patients in terms of precision while minimizing the surgical trauma to their

Meeting the good doctor

To say the very least, the meeting with Dr Priyadarshi Ranjan was a balm for the troubled hearts. Armed with his characteristic benign smile and calm disposition, Dr Ranjan eased their fears about the treatment. “He suggested that we opt for kidney transplant instead of dialysis. Somehow, the way he explained everything to us gave us added confidence,” said Keshav, adding that his father’s kidney was swapped with his mother’s

A swift recovery

However, more than the transplant itself, it was what happened after that really surprised the family. “My father was up and about in no time. When we were taking him out of the ICU on the wheelchair, he wanted to know what on earth the wheelchair was for. The next day, he was walking around. Now, he is back to his usual self. He has got his life back and for us, Dr Ranjan is God,” said a grateful Keshav.

Even doctors on Dr Ranjan’s team were impressed by the way he got through a high risk surgery. “Given his obesity, we anticipated a few problems but Dr Ranjan executed the surgery flawlessly,” said a member of the team.

The team even motivated the patient to lose weight, chalking out his diet and lifestyle. Most of all, they were body to have them recover uneventfully,” said Dr Ranjan.