Nuffield Health Cardiff and Vale Hospital has become the first hospital in Wales to use the Mako robotic arm system to perform a hip replacement.
The Mako SmartRobotics solution, developed by American medical technology firm Stryker, works alongside the surgeon from the pre-surgery planning stage through to assisting in the surgery itself. It has been designed to improve the accuracy and precision of the procedure.
Before surgery, a personalised 3D model is created based on the patient’s own CT scan, allowing the exact size and orientation of the hip or knee implant to be planned.
During the operation, the robotic arm guides the surgeon, following the customised pre-surgery plan, reducing the risk of surgical errors in bone preparation and placement of the implants.
Currently, Nuffield Health Cardiff and Vale Hospitals is the only hospital in Wales to offer robotic arm-assisted joint replacements. The Joint Replacement Centre specialises in treating people with hip and knee complications caused by osteoarthritis.
The robotic-assisted surgery had demonstrated potential in clinical trials and was used in the first joint-replacement on 09 November.
According to the team, the robotic system provides higher accuracy resulting in the replacement fitting as well as it possibly can and ensuring the joint functions as normally as possible after surgery.
Furthermore, it has been shown to result in a shorter hospital stay, quicker recovery and higher satisfaction from patients. The hospital added there is also strong evidence of decreased pain and fewer complications following surgery.
