St. Mary’s Regional Medical Center recently acquired new robotic surgical technology for knee replacement surgery, becoming first in the region and second in the state to do so.
According to a press release from St. Mary’s, Robotic Surgical Assistant, or ROSA, was developed by Zimmer Biomet and is designed to help a specially trained surgeon tailor the placement of the knee implants in patients who need a total knee replacement.
St. Mary’s orthopedic surgeon Trent Hulse said the ROSA system uses data that is collected before and during surgery to let the surgeon know the details of anatomy of the patient, the release said.
Before surgery, a series of X-rays will be performed on the patient to create a 3D model of their knee, and during surgery, the system uses a camera and trackers to help ensure the pre-op plan is performed as intended by providing the surgeon with data throughout the procedure to help them know how to position the implant based on the patient’s anatomy, according to the release.
ROSA does not operate on its own, though, Hulse said in the release.
“The technology does not make movements unless prompted by the surgeon. The surgeon remains in control of making all the decisions based on the data provided by the system,” Hulse said in the release. “This data, combined with the experience and knowledge of the surgeon, helps determine the best placement of each individual’s knee implant based on their anatomy. This advancement in orthopedic surgery allows for greater surgical precision placing the implants which leads to improved patient outcomes.”
Osteoarthritis is a common form of arthritis that causes the breakdown and eventual loss of cartilage in the joint, resulting in the need for joint replacement surgery, according to the release. Candidates for knee replacement surgery are “those who have been diagnosed with osteoarthritis of the knee and have knee pain, swelling, stiffness and decreased flexibility despite conservative treatment.”
For more information on ROSA, visit www.stmarysregion al.com.
Article by: Kelci McKendrick – Enid News & Eagle
2.16.21