The use of the robot provides many advantages, from the stage of planning of
the surgery, through the implementation stage to the recovery stage. Surgical
planning is performed using a three-dimensional virtual model that is loaded
into dedicated software built into the robot, and is used by the surgeon to
create the pre-surgical program individually tailored to the patient, both in
terms of cutting angles and joint movement, and in terms of selecting the
advanced implant according to the patient’s anatomy. The therapeutic plan
makes it possible to perform precise incisions in the bone without harming
the surrounding tissues, in this way promoting recovery, rehabilitation and a
rapid return to routine.
Usually, it is customary to offer joint replacement surgery after conservative treatments have not brought about an improvement, the pain has become permanent, and the patient’s movement is limited, harming his quality of life and causing great suffering. Surgery to replace a hip or knee joint can be performed using an innovative and advanced robot for accurate, quick and quality results and a quick return to routine.
A robot in the service of joint replacements has existed since the early 2000s.
The robot has been around in Israel since 2014. Since then, tens of thousands
of highly successful surgeries have been performed (in Israel and abroad),
and have resulted in a significant improvement to the patients’ quality of life,
and have brought about high levels of satisfaction.
The robot is an auxiliary tool that allows the surgeon to make precise bone
incisions while minimizing the damage to the tissues – muscles, tendons and
ligaments – and to fit the new implant in the best anatomical way possible.
Until the era of robotics, joint replacement surgeries were performed using
manual adjustment equipment; today, however, the surgeries are performed
using a dedicated robotics system that enables partial or complete joint
replacement with preliminary and computerized planning and implementation
of the design in the most accurate way.
No, the surgery is performed by the surgeon who uses the robotic arm system
for preliminary planning of the surgery and for performing the incision; the
surgeon is the one who guides the movement and operation of the robot and
directs the surgery.
The durability of knee or hip implants varies between patients, and depends
on the level of activity and recovery. Most often, studies present durability
data that stand at between 15 and 20 years.
It is possible to resume driving after about two weeks (with surgery performed
on the left side when driving a vehicle with automatic gears) and up to six
weeks (with surgery performed on the right side when drivingany type of
vehicle).
It is very important to move the joint immediately after surgery as soon as the
anesthetic wears off. It is possible to start walking a few hours after surgery,
first with the help of a treadmill and later without it, inorder to form a correct
gait, expressed in the correct transfer of load from leg to leg.
After surgery, the patient remains hospitalized for one night, during which he
begins to practice individual physiotherapy exercises to move the joint and to
prevent respiratory complications and clotting; the patient also meets a
physiotherapist who instructs him on how to perform initial physiotherapy
exercises. The patient is then discharged to his home and continues the
rehabilitation process in his home environment, with a physiotherapist on
behalf of the HMO coming to visit him at home for training sessions and
further practice.
Definitely, both for mild cases and for very complex cases, since pre-operative
imaging allows for optimal planning, minimizes damage to nearby tissues,
and speeds up the recovery process and return to routine.
There are a number of robots situated at various private hospitals.
The disadvantages are the skill of the surgeon and the cost of the surgery.
Surgical procedures involve risks and complications arising from the
anesthesia and the surgery itself, including damage to tissues close to the
surgical area, nerves, blood vessels, infection and anesthetic-related
phenomena such as nausea, vomiting, constipation and more. Robot-assisted
joint replacement surgery is usually performed under partial anesthesia
(epidural-spinal), and therefore it is possible in principle to return to eating and
drinking immediately after the surgery, without fear of nausea and vomiting.
Further, the preliminary surgical design using a unique system and 3D joint-
simulating software significantly helps to minimize the risk of damage to
nearby tissues – a characteristic that accelerates the process of
rehabilitation, recovery, and return to routine. The studies and data indicate
that the risk of developing various surgery-related complications ranges from
one to two percent. These complications include discharge, nerve damage,
joint stiffness and leg-length differences (in hip surgeries). These
complications have a number of solutions, and this issue is discussed at
length in the preparatory pre-surgery meeting between the surgeon, the
anesthesiologist and the patient.
Robot-assisted hip and knee joint replacement surgeries have very high
success rates thanks to the meticulous planning and the sophisticated system
that enables optimal planning and maximum accuracy. However, it is not
possible to guarantee 100% success, but certainly for the most part, surgery
improves the quality of life when the pain does not restrict movement, and
ceases to be the center of life.
