Bethesda Health One of Palm Beach County's First to Offer Robotic Assisted Hip and Knee Procedures with Highly Advanced Technology

Minimally invasive robotic procedures for early Partial Knee Resurfacing and Total Hip Replacement Enable a New Level of Accuracy and Reproducibility

(Boynton Beach, FL -- ) Bethesda Health announced today that it is now one of the first in the region to offer the MAKO® robotic-assisted Partial Knee Resurfacing System and Total Hip Replacement procedure, using the RIO® Robotic Arm Interactive Orthopedic System. This surgeon-controlled robotic arm system enables accurate alignment and placement of implants.

“The MAKO allows us to treat patients with knee and hip osteoarthritis at earlier stages with greater precision and accuracy,” said Robert Zann, M.D., Medical Director of the Bethesda Orthopaedic Institute. “This robotic arm system allows us to align and position the implants just right to personalize partial knee and total hip arthroplasties to achieve optimal results at a superior level of accuracy and reproducibility previously unattainable with conventional instrumentation,” Zann added.

The RIO System features a patient-specific visualization system and proprietary tactile robotic arm technology that is integrated with intelligent surgical instruments. It assists surgeons in pre-planning and in treating each patient uniquely and with consistently reproducible procedure.

Robotic-assisted Partial Knee Resurfacing is a treatment option for adults living with early to mid-stage osteoarthritis that has not yet progressed to all three compartments of the knee. It is less invasive than traditional total knee surgery. A pre-surgical plan is created based on a CT scan of the patient’s own knee, and the surgeon uses the robotic arm during surgery to resurface the diseased portion of the knee, sparing healthy bone and surrounding tissue for a more natural feeling knee. An implant is then secured in the joint to allow the knee to move smoothly again.

During MAKO Total Hip Replacement surgery, the robotic arm system provides visualization of the joint and biomechanical data to guide the bone preparation and implant positioning to match the pre-surgical plan. After first preparing the femur or thighbone, the surgeon uses the robotic arm to accurately ream and shape the acetabulum socket in the hip, and then implant the cup at the correct depth and orientation. The surgeon then implants the femoral implant.  The MAKO offers the confidence of more accurate cup placement and accurate leg length restoration.

“Precision is key in planning and performing partial knee replacement surgeries and total hip replacements,” said Elvis Grandic, M.D., one of Palm Beach County’s most experienced orthopaedic surgeons on the Medical Staff of Bethesda Orthopaedic Institute, who has performed more than 40 MAKO procedures for knees and hips combined. “Having this tool is the ultimate game changer for precisely aligning implants to give the patient a fully functional knee and fully functional hip, with minimal downtime and faster recoveries,” Grandic added. “Precision in surgery and in the pre-operative process is what the RIO can deliver, for each individual patient,” Grandic added.

About Bethesda Health
Founded in 1959, Bethesda Health, Inc., is a healthcare organization serving the medical needs of South Palm Beach County with a mission to provide quality health services in a caring manner. With two not-for-profit hospitals, 401-bed Bethesda Hospital East and 80-bed Bethesda Hospital West, Bethesda Health is comprised of more than 670 physicians and 2,500 employees.  Bethesda Health and its affiliates offer a full array of healthcare services, including the Bethesda Heart Hospital for cardiovascular services; the Bethesda Orthopaedic Institute; general, vascular and endovascular surgery, maternity, neonatal and pediatric intensive care, cancer services and women’s health. Bethesda Hospital West, which opened in January 2013, is an 80-bed, all private room, state-of-the-art hospital, with a 24-hour Emergency Department for adults and children, located on the corner of Boynton Beach Boulevard and US-441. Services include: general, medical, surgical and intensive care, a state-of-the-art interventional hybrid OR suite, as well as diagnostic imaging and rehabilitation. Bethesda Health is honored to be part of a consortium of Palm Beach County hospitals selected to partner with Florida Atlantic University’s Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine Graduate Medical Education program.