NHS hip ops to be done by... robots!
Scots patients get revolutionary new treatment
ROBOTS are being drafted in to revolutionise NHS hip operations in Scotland.
The high-tech machines are set to carry out joint replacements at the country’s largest orthopaedic centre for the first time next month.
The pinpoint accuracy of the robodocs – which use 3D imaging technology – proves less painful for patients and recovery time is quicker, experts say.
Robotic science has been used successfully for knee replacement operations at the Golden Jubilee National Hospital in Clydebank, Dunbartonshire, since late 2019.
Now the programme is to be expanded to hip surgery.
More than 7,000 hip replacements are carried out every year by the NHS in Scotland, easing the suffering of patients with conditions such as osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.
Over a quarter of these operations take place at the Golden Jubilee’s elective orthopaedic centre.
The procedure usually involves surgeons cutting out bone and cartilage by hand – making it extremely difficult to ensure the replacement joints fit perfectly, which can mean components rub together and, over time, wear away.
The hospital revealed last week it is set to spend more than £1 million on robotic hip surgery equipment, including a Mako robot, manufactured by US firm Stryker.
It already has one of the machines, used for knee surgery.
The Mako robot, which is 5ft tall, will help surgeons fit joints more accurately, helping patients avoid future surgery. They have also been shown to reduce tissue damage and blood loss.
Before the operation, the Mako system generates a 3D model of the hip or knee joint, based on a preoperative CT scan, to determine how much bone to remove and where to place the implant.
During surgery the robot, equipped with a saw, enables surgeons to resurface the joint within pre-defined areas, avoiding the removal of healthy bone tissue and ensuring a comfortable fit.
Consultant orthopaedic surgeon Nick Ohly said: ‘We’re very excited that the programme is gathering momentum and we can include total hip replacements along with the knee replacements. Over the next three years we’ll be able to do approximately 500-600 orthopaedic procedures per year.
‘Overall, that will form around a quarter of our joint replacement surgery at the Jubilee.
‘The main benefits we’re seeing for the patients is that robotic surgery is less painful and helps with a reduced length of stay in hospital.
‘Of our partial knee patients, nearly half are going home on the day after surgery. We’ve started doing some on the same day – day zero discharge.
‘Total knee replacements, which are somewhat more painful, we are seeing around a quarter go home on the first post-operative day.
‘It’s obviously been a difficult year with Covid-19, so having these reduced lengths of stays, we have greater capacity on the ward.
‘Hopefully that will help get through the huge demand for joint replacement surgery and help with the national recovery effort.’
Following the addition of the new robot, the Golden Jubilee will have four helping ‘surgeons’ carry out operations – two orthopaedic Makos for hips and knee replacements, a ROSA Total Knee Arthroplasty system and a Da Vinci robotic system for lung surgery.