Operating machine is a century ‘stryker’ at Wimbledon Hospital
Surgeons have celebrated completing 100 operations using robot technology at Aspen’s Parkside Private Hospital, Wimbledon.
They have used a Stryker Mako robotic arm to help carry out joint replacement surgery, allowing patients to return to active life quicker than more traditional surgery.
First used at the hospital in 2019, it works by using CT scans to generate an exact model of the patient’s knee or hip.
That information is then fed back through the Mako robot, allowing the surgeon to determine how much bone to remove to improve the accuracy and precision of the procedure. If the robotic cutting tool passes over an area of the joint that does not need removing, it shuts off automatically, not starting again until it reaches parts mapped out for removal.
Orthopaedic surgeon Mr Giles Heilpern, who conducted the 100th operation and did the first robotic operation at Parkside in 2019, called the machine ‘fantastic’.
He said: ‘Results to date have exceeded expectation. Patients report less pain and better early function after surgery and go on to achieve excellent long-term outcomes.
‘I am proud to be involved with this innovative technology and genuinely see it as a game-changer in knee replacements.’