UROLOGISTS AT THE RESEARCH INSTITUTE OF UROLOGY REMOVE TUMOR FROM WORLD RECORD-HOLDING SWIMMER USING THE DA VINCI ROBOT

Konstantin Georgievich is known not only to residents of the Irkutsk Region. On July 30, 2025, as part of a team of amateur swimmers, he became the first in the world to swim across Lake Baikal — the deepest lake on Earth. The swim was led by a professional coach. Zaitsev swam from the village of Tankhoy in Buryatia to Listvyanka in the Irkutsk District, paired with Vyacheslav Vetrov. Vyacheslav covered 18 km, while Konstantin covered 20 km and spent about 10 hours in the cold water (at +15 °C). However, proper training and physical conditioning helped him overcome all the challenges.

Konstantin Zaitsev works for a major gas production company and only started swimming four years ago. Before that, at the age of 43, he took up running and lost 30 kilograms.

His serious commitment to sports made taking responsibility for his health a way of life. Therefore, when doctors suspected something was wrong with his kidney during a routine medical check‑up, he went to the N. Lopatkin Scientific Research Institute of Urology and Interventional Radiology — branch of the National Medical Research Radiological Centre of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation — to address his health issue.

“Further examination at our institute revealed that we were dealing with a large, complicated cyst on the left kidney, which in 95 % of cases is malignant,” says David Gorduladze, the patient’s attending physician and a urologist at the Surgical Department with Combined Treatment Methods. “However, despite the complicated structure of the tumor, it had not spread to other areas, so we proposed that Konstantin Georgievich undergo a minimally invasive robot‑assisted surgery for partial resection of the left kidney”.

The operation, performed by surgeons from two departments — Candidate of Medical Sciences Sergey Mishugin and urologist Alexey Mordovin — was successful, and a week later the athlete was already preparing for discharge.

“The most important thing for him now is to strictly follow our recommendations,” noted Dmitry Tsaava, Head of the Department and Candidate of Medical Sciences. “In the first month, no physical exertion — only light therapeutic exercises. And, of course, a specific diet, which is very important in kidney diseases. Otherwise, the patient can return to his usual lifestyle within a month”.