First in Michigan to perform New Hip Replacement with Mako SmartRoboticsTM technology
STRAITH HOSPITAL LAUNCHES AN ORTHOPEDIC SURGERY DEPARTMENT
A steady pace of advance in the use of cutting-edge robotic technology to achieve greater surgical accuracy and better long-term results for patients underscores the story of Mako SmartRoboticsTM at Southfield’s Straith Hospital.
Straith is the first hospital in Michigan to upgrade to Mako SmartRoboticsTM 4.0 robotic software and completed the first hip replacement surgery in the state. Very few hospitals in the metro Detroit area are equipped with this technology and it’s at no additional cost to the patient.
“I’ve been lucky enough to see a number of technological improvements in orthopedic surgery, which have been quite dramatic,” said Dr. Roland Brandt, who began practicing orthopedic surgery in 1982. “The biggest improvement I’ve seen come along has been when I was introduced to the Mako robot.”
Brandt began using the Mako technology and performed his first partial knee replacement with the robot in 2012. A year later, he began to use it to perform total hip replacement, and in 2016, he completed Michigan’s fi rst Robotic-Arm assisted total knee replacement surgery.
“The robot has helped us make the placement of the components much more accurately, so that it reduces the risk of dislocation for a total hip replacement when it’s completed, and it reduces the possibility of a leg-length difference after the surgery,” Brandt said.
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“My hip replacement using the latest software to direct the robot and the surgical team was amazing! Thanks to Dr. Brandt and his staff, my hip feels great and I am told by the people handling my physical therapy that I am well ahead of other people who have had a similar procedure! I am back doing spinning on my exercise bike within 4 weeks after my hip replacement!”
Carl
He said because many patients in need of a hip replacement have undergone spinal fusion, suffer arthritis or have compromised low back movement, the hip remains at increased risk for dislocation after a traditional replacement surgery, but this risk significantly lowers with the robotic technology.
The Mako SmartRoboticsTM 4.0 software considers the factors that affect flexibility and allows the surgical team to address any correlation. The result is a more proper placement of the hip cup.
“We take that into account and put the cup into position for a more proper range of motion, whether they’re standing, sitting or lying down,” Brandt said. “Because the spine is rigid, it does not allow the pelvis to shift appropriately and keep the hip in place. We can put the cup in a better position to avoid that dislocation potential with the new robotic technology.”
Brandt’s seven years of experience with the Mako robot has made him a believer in its benefits for patients. “I’m certainly a believer in its benefits as far as the success of the surgery and the outcomes with less pain, faster return to function and getting people back to living the way they really want,” Brandt said.