For many Americans, simple tasks like climbing the stairs or taking a walk can become unbearably painful for their injured or arthritic knees. When medication and non-surgical therapies fail, nearly one million patients opt to have their knees replaced annually. But while knee replacements are extremely common, no two patients’ joints are the same: That’s why precision matters.
Surgical robots have been adopted across disciplines to help surgeons plan and execute procedures with game-changing accuracy, and Penn’s Department of Orthopaedics — which has recently acquired multiple robotic platforms to support joint replacement — is no exception.
“Manual instrumentation has served us well, but determining what a ‘good’ knee replacement feels like can be very subjective,” said Gwo-Chin Lee, MD, an orthopaedic surgeon at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center. “Even if a replacement successfully relieves pain and improves function, a patient may not think their knee feels completely natural. Targeting one single alignment is not necessarily foolproof for every patient.”
However, combining the surgical team’s expertise, intraoperative imaging, and the precision offered by robot assist devices can allow for more personalized care. For example, in January, Lee was able to use a new robotic arm in PPMC’s orthopaedic arsenal to cut the exact amount of bone needed and pinpoint the optimal position of the implant based on his patient’s anatomy.
“Robotic devices can provide real-time feedback on things like alignment and ligament balance,” he said, noting that this assistance can also enhance the accuracy of hip replacements. Robotic devices may not inherently improve the outcome of every procedure, but Lee is interested in expanding research on how these tools can help surgeons identify alternate implant positions and fuel advances in the field. As demand for knee replacements continues to rise and technology continues to evolve, Lee anticipates that robotics will be integrated into the majority of joint replacement procedures in the not-so-distant future.
“It’s exciting that Penn Medicine has invested in these types of devices,” he said. “Not only do they bring us to the forefront of joint replacement, but they can really round out the armamentarium of tools we have to deliver excellent care.”