JOHNS CREEK – Emory Johns Creek Hospital is one of the few hospitals in the Metro Atlanta area to offer new and advanced robotic technology to assist in joint replacement surgery for those with conditions like arthritis. Mako SmartRobotics™ transforms the way total knee, partial knee and total hip replacements are performed by helping surgeons plan more efficiently for each patient’s needs, while protecting nearby tissue and ligaments.
“With Mako SmartRobotics, I have access to an abundance of anatomical data about my patients before beginning the surgery, allowing for the creation of a customized surgical plan for each joint, as no two joints are exactly the same. For some patients, this can mean less soft tissue damage and for others, greater bone preservation,” says Oren Goltzer, MD, orthopaedic surgeon at Emory Johns Creek Hospital and Assistant Professor of Orthopaedics, Emory University School of Medicine.
“During surgery, I validate the customized surgical plan I created and make any necessary adjustments while guiding the robotic arm to execute that plan. I am very excited about Mako SmartRobotics as I believe it helps perform a perfectly balanced knee replacement every time by combining bony anatomy data obtained from the CT scan with soft tissue tensioning that is performed during surgery,” says Goltzer.
According to Stryker, the maker of the new technology, total knee replacements in the United States are expected to increase 189 percent by 2030, yet studies have shown that approximately 20 percent of patients are dissatisfied after conventional surgery. In clinical studies, Mako Total Knee demonstrated the potential for patients to experience less pain, less need for opiate pain relievers, less need for inpatient physical therapy, reduction in length of hospital stay, improved knee flexion and greater soft tissue protection in comparison to other techniques.
Emory Johns Creek Hospital patient Meg Griffith says, “I was so excited to be one of the first patients to have the robotic knee replacement.” Years of chronic knee pain from multiple injuries forced Griffith to stop most of the active hobbies she loved, such as paddle boarding, tennis, and hiking with her chocolate lab, Bella. She tried multiple treatments, attempting to avoid surgery.
After meeting with Goltzer and discussing Mako robotic knee replacement, she decided to pursue surgery. The Mako robotic-assisted right total knee replacement she had on Dec. 1, 2021, was a success and she quickly achieved her goal of getting back on her motorcycle. “You’re going to be better off than you even realize,” she says. “It makes me excited for the future!”
“We are proud to be among the first hospitals to offer this highly advanced SmartRobotics technology in our area,” says Shawn Tritt, MD, chief medical officer at Emory Johns Creek Hospital. “This addition to our orthopaedic service line further demonstrates our commitment to provide the community with outstanding health care.”
Within the Emory Healthcare system, Emory Saint Joseph’s Hospital and Emory University Orthopaedics & Spine Hospital also offer this new, robotic-arm technology for joint replacements. To learn more about Mako SmartRobotics contact Emory Orthopaedics & Spine Center at 404-778-3350.