News
Orthopaedic robot arrives at Hillcrest Rockhampton Private Hospital - a Central Queensland first
Sep 08, 2020
• Hillcrest Rockhampton Private Hospital has invested in a two-million-dollar robot offering orthopaedic surgeons an additional treatment option to carry out knee and hip replacements
• The Mako robotic system’s debut in theatre on September 8 is an exciting surgical milestone for the Central Queensland region
Hillcrest Rockhampton Private Hospital has invested in a two-million-dollar robot, removing the need for Central Queensland residents undergoing partial or total knee replacement or total hip replacement to travel to South East Queensland to access the technology.
Hospital CEO Fiona Hebbard said the innovative technology is part of the hospital’s commitment to being the orthopaedic centre of excellence for Central Queensland.
“This is a huge win for regional Queenslanders, with world-leading technology now available locally for robotic-assisted total hip replacements and total knee and partial knee replacements,” Fiona said.
Part of Australia’s largest private hospital group Ramsay Health Care, Hillcrest conducted the first surgeries using the robotic technology on September 8, a full knee and a full hip replacement.
In town to mark the significant milestone, Ramsay Northern Operations Executive Samantha Dodd said the investment reflected Ramsay’s commitment to regional areas.
“It is exciting to provide local surgeons with world-class technology so locals do not have to travel to Brisbane hospitals,” Samantha said.
The robotic system is designed to assist surgeons, with data collected before and during surgery including CT-based 3D planning to help enhance pre-operative planning. During the procedure, the surgeon can make adjustments if required, based on insights gained using the technology, for dynamic joint balancing.
The arrival of the Mako robot adds to Hillcrest’s suite of surgical options for orthopaedic patients, ensuring Central Queenslanders have access to a range of treatments to suit their needs.
The Hospital also has Hillcrest Specialist Centres in Gladstone and Emerald, giving rural patients’ local access to orthopaedic specialists pre-operatively and post-operatively.
References
- Bell SW; Anthony I; Jones B; MacLean A; Rowe P; Blyth M. Improved accuracy of component positioning with roboticassisted unicompartmental knee arthroplasty: data from a prospective, randomized controlled study. J Bone and Joint Surg. 2016;98: 62735.
- Hampp, E.L., Chughtai, M., Scholl, L.Y., Sodhi, N., Bhowmik-Stoker, M., Jacofsky, D.J. and Mont, M.A., 2019. Robotic-arm assisted total knee arthroplasty demonstrated greater accuracy and precision to plan compared with manual techniques. The journal of knee surgery, 32(03), pp.239-250.
- Domb, B.G., El Bitar, Y.F., Sadik, A.Y., Stake, C.E. and Botser, I.B., 2014. Comparison of robotic-assisted and conventional acetabular cup placement in THA: a matched-pair controlled study. Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research®, 472(1), pp.329-336
