Robotics technology enables reduced hospital stay

HYDERABAD: In the Covid-19-era when patients have been postponing their joint replacement surgeries out of fear of infection risk due to longer hospital stays, robotic surgeries are emerging as a safe option that is enabling quicker discharge and faster recovery for knee and hip replacement patients while allowing higher surgical accuracy in comparison to the conventional procedure.

According to reports, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana have the highest number of osteoarthritis patients in India. It is said that 40 per cent of the population over 70 years show osteoarthritis. At a time when the arthritis burden is so high in India that it is said to become the World’s Arthritis Capital by 2025 with 60 million patients, the advent of such technologies such as robotics in healthcare has drastically improved patient outcome in joint replacement. Technology is converging with medical science and bringing in tools that are not only improving healthcare delivery, but also driving measurable results.

Commenting on the advancements, Dr Gurava Reddy, MD and chief joint replacement surgeon, Sunshine Bone and Joint Institute, Hyderabad, said: “Robotics has transformed the global healthcare industry and its impact in surgical space is particularly valuable. One of the challenges with traditional surgery is that our eyes and our hands can simply not be as good as a computer. Robotic arm-assisted technology allows surgeons to reproduce precise bone cuts for patients, every single time, first on a virtual 3D model and then in the operation theatre.” 

Several clinical studies demonstrate that robotic arm-assisted technology allows faster recovery and improved outcomes for patients. “While conventional knee or hip replacement surgeries are known to be effective for over last three decades, robotics technology allows us to achieve up to 100 per cnet accuracy. Patient benefits including significantly less post-op pain, minimal scarring, more bone and soft tissue preservation, less blood loss allows faster healing and reduced hospital stay to an average of three days,” Dr Gurava added. Each patient’s bony anatomy is different, and arthritis further tends to alter the diseased joint.

In case of a knee or hip surgery, robotic arm-assisted surgery system’s software helps create a 3D model of the diseased joint based on patient’s CT scan. The software, then allows creating a personalised virtual surgical plan for each patient, based on their specific disease condition. According to Research and Markets report, the growth of the Indian robotic-assisted surgical market is expected to reach `26 billion in 2024 expanding at a CAGR of 19.8 per cent.