A robot is now performing knee replacements at St. Joseph’s hospital

A new technology that has never been used in Canada before is expected to be the cutting edge at St. Joseph’s hospital in Hamilton.

Canada’s first orthopaedic surgical robot, is a $2 million robot that will be performing knee replacements.

Working off a 3D image of a patients knee, surgeons plan the perfect place to insert the knee implant. This framework is then programmed into this robotic arm so that it knows the precise amount of bone that needs to be cut.

“I push the robotic arm but the robotic arm will only let me push it where it needs to cut the bone. If I try to push it beyond that it will push me back and if I push it even more it will stop.” Dr. Anthony Adili.

Making the cuts more accurately than if it were done by a surgeon.

The $1,800,000 robot was purchased with donated money. St. Joe’s says the new technology will first be used on a few hundred knee replacements patients to gather research, then the research of the new device will expand to hip replacements. The study is needed to know if the benefit of the new robot outweighs the cost of operating it.

St. Josephs healthcare says one in five Hamiltonians are affected by arthritis and the hospital performs about 600 knee and hip replacements every year.

The hospital is already using robots for operations of the lung, prostate, kidney, mouth and throat.