A high-tech robot surgeon is set to transform knee replacements for thousands of NHS patients. The £800,000 ‘robodoc’ is so precise it allows doctors to make artificial joints fit perfectly, reducing the chances of them wearing out after ten or 15 years, as many do.
Surgeons hope it means implants will now last a lifetime – helping patients avoid more surgery and saving the NHS vital cash. Called Mako and made by US tech firm Stryker Inc, the device has been used in the UK private healthcare sector for some years. But now a number of NHS trusts are adopting the technology to try to improve outcomes for patients.
The Queen Alexandra Hospital in Portsmouth is using the Mako machine for knee and hip replacements, while the Royal Orthopaedic Hospital in Birmingham says it has plans to make it available to NHS patients soon.
About 90,000 knee replacements are carried out each year in the UK to help people who have had crippling osteoarthritis, in which the smooth cartilage that lines the joints wears away, leading to pain while moving.
The procedure usually involves highly skilled surgeons cutting out bone and cartilage before fitting a new implant. But it can be extremely difficult to ensure man-made joints are a perfect fit for the patient’s anatomy. As a result, components rub against each other and, over time, wear away. The robodoc device reduces the risk of this happening because of its pinpoint accuracy, claim some experts.
