Meadowview Regional Medical Center’s Orthopedic team with the Stryker’s Mako Smartrobotics robot that offers innovative technology in total knee replacement.
Meadowview Regional Medical Center is now offering Mako SmartRobotics technology in total knee replacement surgeries.
According to Josh Owens, MD of Meadowview’s Orthopedic Care Center, MRMC received a robot that can do total and partial knee replacement surgeries on Aug. 16. Since its arrival, two surgeries have been completed, DO Cody Lane of the Orthopedic Care Center said.
Owens went on to discuss the positive benefits of having a Mako 2.0 robot at MRMC to assist in knee replacement surgeries.
“It’s great that the hospital has the technology to give to the community and the patients, but at the end of the day, hopefully, the patients can have better range of motion and better outcomes (after a total knee replacement surgery),” Owens said.
From a hospital standpoint, Owens said that the robot is a form of technology that MRMC did not previously have. The technology has been used in larger hospitals before, but never locally.
He noted that it would benefit the patients to have access to the technology locally instead of having to go out of town for special cases that cannot be completed with the traditional method of knee replacement surgery.
Owens explained the benefits of the robotic technology in regard to its general use during surgeries. He said that certain instruments used in surgery can change the precision of the procedure, depending on various factors.
If a patient has had a previous surgery, the surgeon might need to adjust their method of approaching the surgery, he said. The change could result in a lower precision rate. With the robot, surgeons do not need to change their method of approach.
According to Lane, he has noticed that the robot can take away the “fiddle factor” during a procedure and noted that there is a lot of precision in a knee replacement surgery.
“We can balance the knee exactly how we want to do it, basically on the computer before we even make our cuts with the robot,” Lane said.
Before MRMC had the robotic technology it is able to offer now, Orthopedic surgeons were using the same methods and practices in surgery as 40 or 50 years ago, Lane said.
He added that MRMC is using “way newer” technology with a better outcome after a knee replacement surgery. Owens agreed in saying the robot allows for a more precise surgery.
He noted that, in some cases of knee replacement surgeries, there is a risk of “outliers.” An outlier is a patient that experiences difficulties later “down the road” or the implant does not last as long, Owens said.
The robot reduces the chances of outliers, according to Owens.
“We have the best technology in the country here in Maysville,” Lane said. He explained that he used an older model of the Mako robot during his training in Dayton, Ohio.
According to Owens, the robot has not added or removed any additional time to knee replacement surgeries. He said there is still a learning curve involved in the process of using the robot.
“If it takes five minutes longer and I know it’s gonna be perfect, that’s all that really matters,” Lane said. Owens added that adjustments to the surgery plan can be made in real time through a smoother process with the robot.
If a surgeon needed to add or remove milometers to the replacement being made, the robot would allow a smooth process.
“Mako’s 3D CT allows me to create a personalized plan based on each patient’s unique anatomy all before entering the operating room,” Owens said. “During surgery, I can validate that plan and make any necessary adjustments while guiding the robotic arm to execute that plan. It’s exciting to be able to offer this transformative technology across the joint replacement service line to perform total knee, total hip and partial knee replacements”
According to Joe Koch, CEO and Market President of Meadowview Regional Medical Center, the total knee replacement robot “transforms” the way total knee replacements are performed.
“We are pleased to bring robotic knee technology to Meadowview to support our Orthopedic team and to provide our patients access to state-of-the-art technology,” Koch said. “We continually strive to offer our patients the best care they can get and to provide the highest level of care, right here at home.”
To learn more about the Mako 2.0 knee replacement robotic technology, please go to https://patients.stryker.com/knee-replacement/options/mako-robotic-arm-assisted-total-knee.
