Hospital marks milestone 150 robotic-arm assisted surgeries
LINKSFIELD - More mountains to climb and motorbike rides for patients after hip and knee replacements.
The first robotic-arm assisted total knee replacement surgery recently reached a milestone. The milestone was in the form of its 150th life-changing hip and knee replacement using this advanced precision technology. This kind of surgery was first performed at Netcare Linksfield Hospital a little over a year ago.
“In a short space of time this technology has already been used to help more than 150 persons regain their mobility through the full and partial knee and hip replacements at our hospital,” said Doctor Louis van der Hoven, general manager of Netcare Linksfield Hospital. “We congratulate orthopaedic surgeon, Dr Chris McCready on this achievement, which is certainly cause for celebration, particularly for all those individuals who can now enjoy better mobility and quality of life after their operations.”
Dr McCready underwent special training in Amsterdam in the Netherlands to become accredited to perform surgery using the Mako robotic-arm surgical system. Dr McCready’s first 150 Mako procedures comprised 39 partial knee replacements, 53 total knee replacements – including the first such procedure on the African continent – and 58 total hip replacements.
“During surgery, the robotic-arm system offers greater accuracy as it provides detailed visual, auditory and tactile feedback to the surgeon, which helps prevent damage to critical structures within the joints,” Dr McCready explained.
“The Mako robotic-arm system is controlled by the surgeon at all times, however the surgical work is restricted within pre-defined areas of the bony anatomy, allowing for ideal placement of the prosthetic joint while also protecting soft tissues during surgery, which can reduce recovery times and post-operative pain,” he said.
One of the patients who benefitted from the hip replacement procedure recently is 68-year-old Elizabeth D’Oger de Speville, whose arthritis in her right hip had become gradually more painful. After nine months of finding it more and more difficult to walk, she travelled from her home in Parys to consult Dr McCready.
“Some 15 years ago I had my other hip replaced, and the recovery took quite a long time. Even though that hip replacement was life-changing in itself, I was a little reluctant to have this second hip replacement, but had reached the point where my hip was holding me back from doing the things I love,” she said.
She was therefore intrigued to hear of the Mako robotic-arm assisted surgery, which is associated with shorter post-operative recovery time. “Dr McCready operated on my ankle two years ago after I injured it while hiking in Morocco, and so he knows that I am a very active person who finds it particularly hard not to be mobile.”
At the end of August this year, D’Oger de Speville underwent a full replacement of her right hip, which Dr McCready performed using the robotic-arm surgical system, and went directly home after spending two nights in hospital. In addition to the hip replacement, Dr McCready was at the same time able to reduce a small difference in the length of her legs using the Mako robotic-arm surgical system, which enables more accurate correction of irregularities such as leg length discrepancies.
Dr Van der Hoven congratulated Dr McCready on reaching the landmark 150 procedures. “Having brought the benefits of this precision technology to patients, Dr McCready’s expertise with this highly specialised surgical system is an asset to orthopaedic healthcare. This sophisticated surgical option offers people needing either full or partial hip or knee replacements access to world-class treatments that have shown locally to result in quicker recovery times and very satisfied patients.”
Details: Linksfield Netcare Hospital
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