In what officials call a “first” in the United States, doctors at Mather Hospital, Port Jefferson, Long Island, have used robot assisted surgery for a total knee replacement—not a partial or uni. Officials at Mather Hospital say they have been using robot-assisted equipment for about a year, but that now it has started using the robot for total knee replacements.
The patent, Laurie Mullens, age 63 said that she had suffered for more than a decade with arthritis in her knees. “Before my surgery, I wasn’t even really able to walk and I had a bad limp, ” she said.
According to Brian McGinley, M.D., the surgeon working with the robot, the technology involves sensors, cameras and a computer to allow the surgeon to map out the patient’s knee in 3D. Once that is completed, the doctors decide on a course of action and input that plan into the computer. “It won’t let me go more than one millimeter off of where I want to put it, ” says McGinley
Doctors at Mather believe that the robot-assisted procedure is appropriate for any patient who needs partial or total knee replacement surgery. They report that they have several more robot assisted surgeries scheduled for the next few weeks.
It was with great dismay that I read the headline of the “First Robotic Assisted Total Knee Replacement” just being performed on Long Islamd. I am a pioneer in robotic assisted total knee replacement having performed the first on Long Island on February 18, 2005. Since that time we have performed over 2000 successful total knee implantations with computer and robotic assistance. Our results have been peer reviewed and pressented internationally. We have previously published a book chapter on Robotic Assisted Total Knee Replacement in “Medical Robotics, Minimally invasive surgery” Paula Gomes Editor, Woodhead Publishing, 2012; Chapter 6. We have also previously published a surgical technique video with the AAOS http://youtu.be/I7rUWh-bQDc. We agree that this technology is the future of Orthopaedics and Joint Replacement Surgery and are happy to see others catching on.. Thank you for allowing us to set the record straight…
Dr. Jan A Koenig MD
Vice Chairman Dept of Orthopaedic Surgery
Chief of Joint Replacement
Director of Computer and Robotic Orthopaedic Surgery
Winthrop University Hospital
516 678-2232
For more info please contact JKoenigMD@orthoexcellence.com or through Winthrop University Hospital Medical Affliates. 516 678-2232