| |
||
|
| ||
 |
|
Saint Michael’s Performs State’s First Robotic-arm Assisted Orthopedic Surgery
NEWARK, N. J. (May 10, 2010) –– A team at Saint Michael's Medical Center, led by Dr. Richard Boiardo, chief of Orthopedics, recently performed the state’s first robotic-arm assisted orthopedic surgery, a technological leap that can spare healthy tissue, require a smaller incision, and result in a quicker recovery. The procedure for patients with early to mid-stage osteoarthritis allows them to gain relief without having to undergo a total knee replacement. Precisely targeting the portion of the knee that has been damaged, the surgeon can avoid compromising healthy tissue, and preserve ligaments for a more natural feel to the knee. The procedure offers a new surgical option for patients with chronic knee pain. “This is the most dramatic development in joint surgery in the past 30 years,” said Dr. Boiardo, who used the MAKO RIO® Robotic Arm Interactive Orthopedic System to perform the procedure, known as MAKOplasty, on a 50-year-old man from South Orange whose knee damage progressed from an on-the-job injury. “Our patient was in constant pain,” said Dr. Boiardo. “He could no longer go camping or fishing or even mow his lawn. The robotic arm-assisted resurfacing worked perfectly, and he left the hospital the next day.”
MAKOplasty® is an option for patients with osteoarthritis in the medial (inner), patellofemoral (top), or lateral (outer) portion of the knee. Using pre-operative planning technology to create a customized, three-dimensional model for each patient, the RIO system helps the surgeon to plan the precise positioning of the implant and to maneuver accurately while resurfacing and repairing only the damaged portions of the knee. “The day after the surgery, I was trying the steps. Now I am walking around the block and back,” the patient said 11 days after the surgery. “People cannot believe how quickly I am walking. I feel so much better. Dr. Boiardo has given me my life back.” Saint Michael’s Medical Center will continue seeking to offer patients the latest in robotic technology, said CEO Robert H. Evans, who explained that the hospital uses the daVinci Surgical System for cardiac bypass surgery and for urologic surgery. Recently Saint Michael’s began offering robotic gynecology surgery. “For the right patient, robotic technology can mean a shorter hospital stay, less pain, less risk of infection, and less scaring,” said Evans. “Our hospital embraces the medical technology we believe can improve the lives of our patients.”
|
|
|
|
|
