St. Mary’s Regional Medical Center First in Region to Add ROSA® Robotic Knee Replacement Technology to Surgical Services
An exciting change in knee replacement surgical technology has arrived at St. Mary’s Regional Medical Center with the recent addition of ROSA® knee robotic technology. Developed by Zimmer Biomet, ROSA stands for Robotic Surgical Assistant and is designed to help a specially trained surgeon tailor the placement of the knee implant in patients who need a total knee replacement. St. Mary’s is the first hospital in the region to acquire this technology.
Osteoarthritis is a common form of arthritis (a degenerative joint disease) which causes the breakdown and eventual loss of cartilage in the joint which results in the need for joint replacement surgery. Patients who are candidates for knee replacement are those who have been diagnosed with osteoarthritis of the knee and have knee pain, swelling, stiffness and decreased flexibility despite conservative treatment.
Orthopedic surgeon Trent Hulse, MD, who is on staff at St. Mary’s, explains the ROSA system uses data that is collected before and during surgery to let the surgeon know the details of the patient’s anatomy. Prior to surgery, patients will have a series of X-rays performed, which are used to create a 3D model of their knee. 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 him know how to position the implant based on each individual patient’s anatomy.
Dr. Hulse points out the robot does not operate on its own. "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. 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," he explains. "This advancement in orthopedic surgery allows for greater surgical precision placing the implants, which leads to improved patient outcomes."*
*Individual results may vary. There are risks associated with any surgical procedure. Talk with your doctor about these risks to find out if robotic surgery is right for you.