For the first time in Africa, a total knee replacement operation has been carried out using the state-of-the-art Mako robotic arm assisted surgery system. The surgery was performed at Netcare Linksfield Hospital in Johannesburg.  

“There is no national register for local total knee replacements currently, but with an estimated 8 000 to 10 000 total knee replacements taking place in South Africa each year, this technology could signal a new era in personalised joint replacement,” says orthopaedic surgeon, Dr Chris McCready, who practices at the hospital and performed this African surgical first.

According to Dr McCready, the technologically advanced system for total knee replacement is already well established in Europe, the United States and the United Kingdom. The system, which can also be used for hip and partial knee replacements, was used in over 250 000 procedures internationally last year alone.

“The robotic arm system, which is controlled by the surgeon at all times, provides an additional safeguard for the patient because it ensures that only the specific areas identified in the personalised pre-surgical plan can be operated on, and thus prevents damage to critical structures within the knee.

“Benefits for patients that have been noted in outcomes recorded internationally for this advanced surgical option include the achievement of a better balanced and more natural feeling implanted knee, less post-operative pain and quicker recovery time,” says Dr McCready, who adds that it would take time to accumulate comparable local data.