BLACKFOOT – It used to be people who underwent a knee or hip replacement procedure had a one in 10 chance of having complications.
But now, a new robotic system has brought those odds down to less than one in a 100 chance.
Bingham Memorial Hospital is the first medical facility in Idaho to offer the Mako system. Mako is a robotic-arm designed to guide surgeons when removing bone during knee and hip replacement procedures.
“Mako robotic-arm assisted surgery is changing the way joint replacement procedures are performed by providing each patient, with a personalized surgical experience based on their specific diagnosis and anatomy,” Dr. David Peterson said.
BMH hosted a media event Thursday morning where the press were allowed to use the million dollar robot to surgically remove “bone” from a wooden model of a knee.
The system prevented cutting in the wrong place or cutting too deeply, removing too much bone.
“Using a virtual 3D model, the Mako System allows surgeons to create each patient’s surgical plan pre-operatively before the patient even enters the operating room,” Dr. Peterson said. “During surgery, the surgeon can validate that plan and make any necessary adjustments while guiding the robotic-arm to execute the procedure exactly as planned.”
With the increased precision the Mako System offers, patients, require less time in the hospital and speeds up recovery.
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