100 Mako robot operations at Nuffield Health Leeds Hospital.
This month Nuffield Health Leeds Hospital celebrates its 100th Mako robot-assisted joint replacement operation.
Established technology in the States, robot-assisted surgery in the UK is still relatively new and Nuffield Health Leeds Hospital was the first hospital between London and Edinburgh to have invested in this state of the art equipment.
What is Mako robotic-assisted surgery?
The state-of-the-art Mako™ robotic arm system works alongside the surgeon from the pre-surgery planning stage through to assisting in the surgery itself in order to improve the accuracy and precision of the procedure.
Before surgery, a personalised 3D model is created based on the patient’s own CT scan, allowing the exact size and orientation of the hip or knee implant to be planned. During the operation, the robot arm guides the surgeon, following the customised pre-surgery plan, reducing the risk of surgical errors in bone preparation and placement of the implants.
Who has robot-assisted surgery?
Patients choose robot-assisted surgery over traditional surgery due to its reputation of increased surgical accuracy, smaller scar and quicker recovery. The types of patients we have treated include the self-employed, senior management or those where fitness is a key part of their career or lifestyle and seek a quicker recovery and increased joint longevity.
Our 100th robot-assisted joint replacement surgery celebration
The 100th operation was by Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon Mr Jon Conroy. Jon comments:“It's great to see patients a year after their surgery getting back to all those activities they were doing before and spending time with their family and grandkids. The other reason for the special occasion today is to thank the staff that have worked with us. They've been really enthusiastic and got behind the robot”.
The occasion was celebrated with a robot cake, with teams from across the hospital who are involved throughout the patient’s journey coming together to celebrate this special milestone. Hospital Director Maria Robinson and Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon Mr Jon Conroy spoke about the success of this technology at the hospital. ‘R2Knee2’ - the robot itself also made an appearance, alongside representatives from Stryker, the robot’s manufacturer.
Orthopaedic Clinical Lead Sharon Sorby said: “Achieving 100 operations is an important milestone, the team here are well-versed in the delivery of this procedure. It's a great privilege to work with Jon, he brings a lot of expertise with him, but it's testimony to the great teamwork and our highly skilled team who have been receptive to the skills required to meet the technology advancement."