Ozarks Healthcare Now offering Highly Advanced Robotic-Arm Assisted Joint Replacement with Stryker’s Mako SmartRobotics^TM System

Innovative robotic technology allows surgeons to personalize total knee, partial knee, and total hip replacement procedures to each patient in the Ozarks.

Ozarks Healthcare (OZH) is the first healthcare system in the region to offer Mako SmartRobotics™. This advancement in joint replacement surgery transforms the way total knee, partial knee and total hip replacements are performed by helping surgeons know more and cut less.

Mako SmartRobotics™ combines three key components, 3D CT-based planning, AccuStop^TM haptic technology and insightful data analytics, into one platform that has shown better outcomes for total knee, total hip and partial knee patients.

“With Mako SmartRobotics™, we know more about our patients than ever before, and we’re able to cut less. For some patients, this can mean less soft tissue damage; for others, greater bone preservation,” Caleb Piatt, DO, orthopedic surgeon, Ozarks Healthcare Orthopedics and Spine, said. “Mako’s 3D CT allows myself and my fellow surgeons to create a personalized plan based on each patient’s unique anatomy before entering the operating room. During surgery, we can validate that plan and make any necessary adjustments while guiding the robotic arm to execute that plan. It’s exciting to be able to offer this transformative technology across the joint replacement service line to perform total knee, total hip and partial knee replacements.”

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. Mako Total Knee combines Stryker’s advanced robotic technology with its clinically successful Triathlon Total Knee System, which enables surgeons to have a more predictable surgical experience with increased precision and accuracy. In clinical studies, Mako Total Knee demonstrated the potential for patients to experience less pain, less need for opiate analgesics, less need for inpatient physical therapy, reduced length of hospital stay, improved knee flexion and greater soft tissue protection in comparison to manual techniques.

Mako SmartRobotics^TM for Partial Knee replacement is a treatment option designed to relieve the pain caused by joint degeneration due to osteoarthritis that has not yet progressed to all three compartments of the knee. During surgery, the surgeon guides the robotic arm during bone preparation to execute the predetermined surgical plan and position the implant. By selectively targeting only the part of the knee damaged by osteoarthritis, surgeons can resurface the diseased portion while helping the knee while helping to protect the healthy bone surrounding the knee joint. Studies have shown that robotic-arm-assisted partial knee replacement, leads to greater accuracy of implant position to plan compared to manual partial knee replacement procedures.

By 2030, total hip replacements in the United States are by projected to grow 171 percent. Mako SmartRobotics^TM for Total Hip is a treatment option for adults who suffer from degenerative joint disease of the hip. During surgery, the surgeon guides the robotic arm during bone preparation to prepare the hip socket and position the implant according to the predetermined surgical plan. In a controlled matched-paired study to measure acetabular bone resection, results suggested greater bone preservation for Mako Total Hip compared to manual surgery.

“We are proud to be the first healthcare system to offer this highly advanced SmartRobotics^TM technology in our area,” Tom Keller, Ozarks Healthcare President and CEO, said. “This addition to our orthopedic service line further demonstrates our commitment to provide the community with outstanding healthcare.”

Contact Ozarks Healthcare Orthopedics and Spine at 417-256-1745 for more information or a no-referral-needed appointment. The clinic is located at 1100 Kentucky Ave., (2^nd floor) in West Plains, and is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. To learn more about Ozarks Healthcare’s orthopedic services, visit https://www.ozarkshealthcare.com/services/ortho/.

Ozarks Healthcare is a system of care encompassing primary care and specialty clinics, along with complete rehabilitation, behavioral healthcare, and home health services. While the 114-bed acute care hospital cares for more than 5,400 admissions, the health system has more than 364,000 patient visits annually in South Central Missouri and Northern Arkansas. For more information about Ozarks Healthcare, visit www.OzarksHealthcare.com.

Dr. Susan Jolly (left) and Dr. Caleb Piatt (right), Ozarks Healthcare Orthopedics and Spine, conduct a knee replacement surgery using Stryker’s Mako SmartRobotics^TM System.

Stryker’s Mako SmartRobotics^TM System enabling Orthopedic Surgeons at Ozarks Healthcare to perform highly advanced robotic-arm assisted surgery.