Robotic Knee Replacement
Total Knee Replacement Surgery is one of the commonest surgeries in India. Most of the hospitals and surgeons do the conventional knee replacement surgery where the cutting is done manually and the alignment of the implant with the femoral and the tibial bone is also done manually. In some centers, computer-aided alignment is being practiced. The results of the computer-aided alignment are better than the manual alignment.
As of 2019 around 10 hospitals in India have procured the surgical robot for doing the Knee Replacement Surgeries of which Vardhman Hospital Muzaffarnagar is one of them. The reason for the low availability of this robot at other hospitals is the prohibitive cost which is around 10-15 crores. The Robot is not going to operate on your knee. It is a machine that helps the surgeon in doing the surgery with much higher accuracy.
Cost and Doctors
Buying a Robot is a big decision for any hospital which is doing Knee Replacement Surgeries. The cost of the Robot is the prohibiting factor unless the hospital is doing a large number of such surgeries. Vardhman Hospital at Muzaffarnagar is doing the largest number of Knee and Hip Replacement Surgeries in the state of Uttar Pradesh. The cost of Knee Replacement Surgery increases by around USD 2000 when a Robot is used in the surgery.
Dr. Anubhav Jain is one of the best trained orthopedic surgeons in the use of Computer Navigation for doing Knee Replacement Surgeries. At Vardhman Hospital we do all types of Knee Replacements - Conventional, Computer Navigation and now we are doing Robotic Knee Replacement Surgeries.
Surgery & Recovery
When you get admitted for the surgery we carry out all the pre-surgery tests to evaluate your fitness for surgery. The surgery for each knee is finished in 45-60 minutes. We use FDA approved imported titanium implants and keep the biggest stock of these implants so that the right sized implant is used for your knee. Your stay in the hospital would be 5 days for a single knee and 7 days for both the knees.
You are on your feet from the 2nd day of the surgery and intensive physiotherapy is given during your stay at the hospital. After discharge, you are given a complete program for rehabilitation which you should continue for the next 45-60 days during which you would recover completely and would be able to do all kinds of activities.
Advantages Of Robot Surgery
Robotic Knee Replacement Surgery has a much higher accuracy when it comes to the alignment of the implant with the femoral and the tibial bone even over the computer-guided system. The robots help with pre-surgical planning. Using 3-D imaging, doctors can plan each surgery around the patient’s unique anatomy. This helps to ensure the correct sizing and positioning of the implant.
The robotic arm positions the saw blade in such a manner that it can operate in one plane only and therefore it is much more precise as it does not allow the surgeon's hand to go in multiple planes. When the implant is positioned with higher precision there is much less wear and tear to the implant, bones, and the soft tissue which increases the life of the implant.
Cost And Facilitation
The cost of Robotic Single Knee Replacement Surgery is USD 5500 while the cost for both the knees is USD 10000. This package includes all the hospitalization expenses, pre-surgery consultations, and investigations, post-surgery physiotherapy for 10 days. The package also includes Delhi airport pickup and transfer to Muzaffarnagar by our representative and also drops at the airport in a luxury car at the time of departure. For international patients, we provide complementary services of translators, meals for one attendant during the stay at the hospital, currency exchange, and visa assistance.
Indian patients would not require many of these services and therefore the package would depend on what all services are to be given to each patient.
Surgical Demonstration
This is an animated video of Smith & Nephew Navio Robotic System for doing Knee Replacement Surgery. In Robotic Surgery the surgeon sits on the computer console and plans the surgery with much higher precision. The arm of the robot is positioned by the surgeon using the computer console to match with the specific anatomy of the patient.
In Robotic Surgery some of the functions where are normally done by the surgeon are now being done by the robotic arm. The cutting of the bone is now being done by the robot which makes it a very precise job with no scope for human error. The alignment of the implant is also done by the surgeon on the console and this makes the alignment much more precise than what is achieved by human skills.
You are on your feet from the 2nd day of the surgery and intensive physiotherapy is given during your stay at the hospital. After discharge, you are given a complete program for rehabilitation which you should continue for the next 45-60 days during which you would recover completely and would be able to do all kinds of activities.