Methodist Hospital
San Antonio, TX - Methodist Hospital is the first healthcare facility in San Antonio to offer robotic-assisted knee replacement surgery using advanced robotic technology with x-ray based imaging and imageless options. This innovative robot, the newest addition to Methodist's unmatched robotics program, advances orthopedic surgical treatment by allowing surgeons to use both 2D x-rays and 3D bone modeling while simultaneously performing the procedure.
Exclusive to Methodist Hospital, this robot minimizes the use for instruments in the OR and facilitates custom surgical plans for minimally invasive total knee replacement surgeries. The robot allows surgeons to perform a virtual knee replacement with predictive outcomes and implant placement prior to making a single incision.
A manual knee replacement surgery can leave patients with a prolonged recovery period of a few months. Research suggests minimally invasive operations lead to more precise outcomes, a shorter hospital stay and quicker recovery times, enabling patients to return to their normal routines.
Due to the complexity of the technology, surgeons are required to receive certification to operate the robot. Medical Director of Orthopedics, Siraj Sayeed, MD, is currently Methodist Hospital's only robotic board-certified orthopedic surgeon to utilize this robot; however, as this technology becomes more established, more orthopedic surgeons and clinical staff in the Methodist Healthcare network will become certified.
"The robotic-assisted total knee replacement technology allows me to personalize the surgery based on each patient's individual bone and soft tissue anatomy prior to the knee replacement. This allows for increased precision during the surgery," commented Sayeed. "I can also adjust my plan based on the knee anatomy and soft tissues with real time data provided by the robot. As the only hospital in San Antonio to offer this technology, we are becoming a beacon of high-tech orthopedic care in the medical center."
The addition of this orthopedic robot is a promising component to the growing robotics portfolio at Methodist Hospital, a facility committed to strengthening the robotic surgery program and leveraging the latest advancements in robotic technology to benefit the San Antonio community.
The first robotic-assisted knee replacement surgery using this new technology took place at Methodist Hospital October 17.