Knee surgery's 'next evolutionary step'

There has never been abetter time to have a knee replacement, says Dr John van Essen.

The orthopaedic surgeon, who has performed the procedure thousands of times across more than two decades, believes the latest robotic technology makes surgery more personalised and accurate than ever before.

Dr van Essen is now treating his patients at St Andrew's Hospital in Adelaide using the ROSA robotic surgical assistant system.

"I've been using computer navigation in surgery for20 years. This is the next evolutionary step, with computer navigation,robotic technologies,scanners and 3D imaging allpackaged into one," he said.

"I offer it to my patients to give them a knee replacement with evengreater accuracy, that fitsand functions as naturally as possible.

"Together with my many years of clinical experience, the ROSA helps me precisely placethe implant and assess theknee with the implant in place."

St Andrew's has added Zimmer Biomet's ROSA suite to its extensive use of the da Vinci Xi surgical robot – in 2022 it announced it was the busiest hospital in Australia in terms of procedures using that system.

Unlike the da Vinci robot, the ROSA does not take the place of a surgeon's hands and tools.

Originally created for neurosurgery but later adapted for other disciplines, it acts on the specialist's instruction to locate cutting planes and provide detailed data about bone and soft tissue during the surgery. 

ROSA works specificallywith Zimmer Biomet'sPersona Knee joint replacement implants, which are matched to the patient's individual anatomy using pre-operative scans and x-rays.

"We can rotate the prostheses and manipulateeverything in a three-dimensional environment, and then make our cuts precisely," Dr van Essen said.

Patients benefit from improved surgical experience and outcomes, with usually a three-day post-operative stay in hospital and a return to a range of activities after six to eight weeks.

"Robotic-assisted knee surgery has been associated with reducedpain, lower use of pain-relief medication, fewer physiotherapy sessionsand overall improved kneefunction following surgery," Dr van Essen said.

"Robotic surgery has also been linked to shorter hospital stays, which means patients can get back to doing things sooner than you might think. There's never been a better time to have a knee replacement." 

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