New surgical robot assists joint replacements at Piedmont Macon North

The robotic system uses 3D imaging to help surgeons plan and perform knee and hip replacement procedures with greater precision.

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) — Piedmont Macon North Hospital is introducing a robotic surgical system designed to help surgeons perform knee and hip replacements with greater precision, potentially improving patient recovery.

“What it brings to the area is another opportunity for patients to see a joint surgeon and get surgery performed at the highest level, with the newest technology available to help increase their patient satisfaction,” said Dr. Bruce Byrd with Piedmont Orthopedics/OrthoAtlanta.

The hospital’s new Mako robotic system is designed to help surgeons perform joint replacements with greater accuracy, giving patients access to advanced care closer to home.

“The new robot we have here at Piedmont Macon North is called the Mako robot,” Byrd said. “The idea here is that it brings precision and accuracy to joint surgery. Total knees and total hips, it doesn’t necessarily revolutionize the way they’re done, but what it does is provides that increased precision, which becomes very important when it comes to doing particularly total knees. Millimeters and degrees matter, and so being able to accurately and reproducibly do that has a significant outcome equals results and their therapy.”

Byrd says the Mako system uses a CT scan to create a 3D image of the patient’s anatomy. This helps surgeons plan the procedure and determine the best size and placement for the implant.

“So, it’s about objective data,” he said. “And so it gives you objective data that we can actually balance the knee off of reproducible data. And then once you have that data, you can make a good game plan, and then it allows you to execute that game plan to the precision that you would want to.”

Byrd says the technology may also help patients recover faster by reducing swelling, pain and damage to surrounding tissue.

“There is data out there that shows with the Mako robot particularly that it can speed up recovery time by allowing us to perform less soft tissue releases,” he said. “We can lower the inflammatory response, and so that helps with swelling. That helps with postoperative pain. That helps get patients moving quicker.”

Hospital leaders say the new technology gives patients an additional option for joint replacement surgery without having to travel far from home.