While technology has been leaving its footprints on every turf, healthcare is one of the most positively affected areas. New advancements in technology have helped in shaping the healthcare industry in the right way. Also the Times are changing, and so are we. Through the race of life to stay ahead, and through the joyride of life post retirement, we are a lot more active than ever before. 50 is called the new 20 for a reason! But what happens when this joyride comes across the obstacle of knee pain? From curbing your activity to taking a long time for recovery, knee pain and surgery are putting you temporarily out of action. Lokmanya Hospitals has long been a name associated with quality medical care. It has over 65,000 orthopedic surgeries to its name, including 12000+ joint replacement surgeries, covering all the four joints – Shoulder, Hip, Elbow and Knees. Carrying forward this leadership in joint replacement, in continuation to this delicacy under the leadership of the chief Joint Replacement Surgeon Dr Narendra Vaidya, is the first hospital in India and one of the first hospitals in the World outside USA to offer the innovative Robotic Assisted Surgery System advantages for the knee replacement procedures. This latest advancement in surgery is transforming the way joint replacement procedures are performed.
Use of Robotic technology has resulted in more predictable, balanced, and aligned joint replacements. This process allows rapid recovery and relief of pain, and return to an active lifestyle with a shorter recovery period for most patients. Robotic knee replacement is a highly accurate, advanced form of knee replacement surgery. Since, the maximum natural knee structure is preserved and there is least blood loss during the surgery. Recovery is considerably faster than the traditional form of surgery. The short hospitalization period and early discharge add to the comfort and happiness of the patients!

“And happy the patients are, indeed! With over 4000 robotic knee replacement surgeries done in a short span of time, many recovered and satisfied patients trust Lokmanya, not just from India, but from many countries abroad. All this has been achieved by the combination of the expertise and experience of the doctors and staff at Lokmanya, along with the latest equipment and infrastructure.”

As per Dr Narendra Vaidya, “Robotic Assisted Joint Replacement Technology is changing the way Joint Replacement Surgeries are being done, as It presents an excellent combination of Man and Technology where surgeon’s skills with high level of precision and accuracy of the Robotic system is helping to achieve exact mapping, better planning and perfect implant selection along with preserving of natural structures like healthy bone, associated muscles and Ligaments and therefore patient recovery time is shorter and length of stay is also less, therefore overall it is a win win situation for everyone. Using a virtual 3D model, the Robotic Assisted Surgical System allows surgeons to personalize each patient’s surgical plan pre-operatively, so there is a clear plan for how the surgeon will resurface the damaged and diseased bone and position the implant before beginning the procedure” adds Dr. Vaidya “During surgery, the surgeon can validate that plan and make any necessary adjustments, while the robotic-arm then allows the surgeon to execute that plan with a high level of accuracy and predictability. The combination of these features of the system has the potential to lead to better outcomes and higher patient satisfaction.”

What is Robotic-Arm Assisted Surgery Technology?

It combines the highly developed technology of an interactive 3-D visualization system and the robotic arm, providing your surgeon with the consistent pinpoint accuracy and precision. The surgical precision of the robotic assisted surgical system enhances mobility and implant longevity.

What is the Robotic-Arm Assisted Surgery Process?

A robotic-arm assisted technology provides with a personalized surgical plan based on the unique anatomy. First, a 3D model of the joint will be used to pre-plan the surgery based on the unique anatomy.

Robotic knee replacement surgery itself is a highly sophisticated procedure. A robotic-arm assisted technology provides with a personalized surgical plan based on the unique anatomy to assist the surgeon in operating with accuracy. In the operating room, the surgeon follows the personalized surgical plan while preparing the bone for the implant. The diseased bone and cartilage is removed within the pre-defined area with the maximum preserving of healthy bone and the Robotic Assisted Surgical System helps the surgeon stay within the planned boundaries that were defined when the personalized pre-operative plan was created. However, the surgeon can alter the plan during surgery as necessary based on real-time information and situation.
It’s important to understand that the surgery is performed by an orthopedic surgeon, who guides the robotic-arm during the surgery to position the implant in the knee joint. The robotic-arm does not perform surgery, make decisions on its own, or move without the surgeon guiding the robotic-arm.
After surgery, the surgeon, nurses and physical therapists will set goals with patient to get him back on the move. They will closely monitor patient’s condition and progress. The surgeon will review a post-operative x-rays of the joint with new implant on the follow up visits.
With the use of technology the requirement of prolonged rest period after surgery, rigorous physiotherapy has been eliminated and patient is allowed to walk right from the next day of surgery and dependency for his activities on family members is eliminated which has increased the acceptance of this treatment has tremendously increased with high satisfaction index.

Benefits Of Robotic-Arm Assisted Knee Replacement Surgery Include:

It brings very high grade of precision successfully in Unicompartmental/ Partial knee Arthroplasty ( UKA) which is one the most important advantages of Robotic Assisted Joint Replacement Technology.
(i) Very good balancing of the knee.
(ii) Lesser blood loss due to no intra-medullary intervention
(iii) lesser invasive procedure to the bone and surrounding structures
(iv) Less post-operative pain
(v) Less soft tissue damage than traditional joint replacements
(vi) More “natural feeling” in the joint following surgery as the diseased bone is only resurfaced and replaced with proper fitting implant keeping the maximum healthy bone in place and associated soft tissues, muscles and ligaments are all preserved which improves mobility and pain relief, Also there is very small difference between the implant location and the natural joint anatomy.
(vii) More rapid recovery with a shorter length of stay at the hospital.
(viii) More rapid recovery means a faster return to daily activities.
(ix) Protection from radiation exposure as requirement of CT scan is eliminated making it more safe for the patient.
(x) Surgeon’s comfort level also increases as measurements are more precise and operative time also gets reduced. The process is controlled by the surgeon but not dependent on him.

Robotic joint replacement is one of the biggest innovations in joint replacement. Robotics have taken surgery from being an operation done by the human hand, subject to human error in measurements, to being a much more precise procedure done with the aid of computerized three dimensional planning and robotic precision. It is a complete game-changer, in terms of accuracy and enhanced speed of recovery. With robotics, we can achieve near perfect accuracy with a perfect combination of surgeon’s skill and precision of system in measurements and planning.
Being a keen observer along with being a health service provider, Lokmanya also took the initiative in organizing the 1st International Symposium on Robotic Joint Replacement. This was the first of its kind event in the world, where doctors from across the globe met for discussion, deliberations and live surgery demonstrations. The torch of learning and innovation in medicine is thus, being forward with passion by Lokmanya. It takes the skill of an artist and the unerring hand of an expert surgeon to carry out this hi-tech operation.
Lokmanya with the team of expert doctors has sole focus on wellbeing and faster recovery post joint replacement. Ably supporting the whole healing process is the Para medical staff, which adds the caring, human touch to the recovery and rehabilitation. As someone who knows how much knee pain can disrupt your regular life, we make sure you bounce back faster, better and happier! With the offering of technology and the promise of care, Lokmanya welcomes you to be your best again!