As a play on Cinco de Mayo, Goshen Health is hosting its Cinco de Mako event on May 5 to celebrate its 350th robotic-assisted total joint replacement surgery by showcasing its Mako SmartRobotics™ system. The event invites attendees to enjoy Cinco de Mayo-themed food, learn about robotic-assisted joint replacement, and get a closer look at the Mako SmartRobotics™ system, which the Goshen Health staff affectionately call Ollie the Ortho Bot.
“When we brought the robot into our hospital, we had a naming contest for all the Colleagues who worked in our health system to come up with a personalized name for the robot. Multiple names were submitted, and then Ollie was selected as the winner,” said Goshen Orthopedics Medical Director and Orthopedic Surgeon Christopher Owens, MD.
Joined by his Colleague, Orthopedic Surgeon Bryan Boyer, MD, Owens looks forward to introducing attendees to Ollie and educating them about knee and hip replacement at the Cinco de Mako event.
“We'll have our Mako robot – which is the robot that assists with hip and knee replacement surgery – on site so that attendees can see it. My Colleague Dr. Boyer and I will have an educational session just to provide some information for attendees about what robotic-assisted hip and knee replacement surgery entails,” Owens said.
The Mako SmartRobotics™ system is a CT-based software program that completes a CT scan. It allows surgeons to build a 3D model of the hip or knee joint ahead of surgery to personalize an effective joint replacement plan.
“The Mako robot also assists the surgeon who controls the robot to help us perfectly execute that plan at the time of surgery,” Owens said. “It does two things at the time of surgery. There's a robotic arm that attaches to our instruments and guides us in excising the arthritic bone and implanting the replacement components. The benefit of that is that when we excise the bone, it ensures that we're removing just enough bone. One of the technically more challenging parts of a joint replacement is ensuring that you get the components of the new parts in just the right orientation so that they mesh well together, and the robot aids in that precision.”
With 350 surgeries completed hospital-wide over the last two years, Owens and his Colleagues have witnessed the benefits of working with the Mako SmartRobotics™ system. Beyond how it assists surgeons – via the CT scan, 3D joint model, and precision assistance during surgery – Owens has noticed multiple ways that the Mako SmartRobotics™ system has impacted patients. Owens has been pleased to see patients walk away from surgery with less pain, shorter hospital stays, and an increase in implant success, diminishing the need for revision surgery.
To RSVP for Cinco de Mako, click here. For more information about Goshen Health, visit goshenhealth.com.
