A team of orthopaedic specialists at Fortis Hiranandani Hospital, Vashi, gave a new lease of life to Sharad R. Chalke (72), from Seawoods, Navi Mumbai, with western India’s first Robotic Cruciate-retaining Knee Replacement Surgery. Performed successfully by Dr Pramod Bhor, HOD-Orthopedics and his team, this life-enriching robotic surgery offered the patient rapid recovery and drastically reduced post-operative pain.
Chalke had been suffering from bilateral knee pain for seven years; the pain was severe in the right knee. After retiring in 2010, Chalke, also a professional Yoga teacher, continued his Yoga practice. However, with increasing age, he started facing deformities in both knees, making daily activities like walking and performing specific Yoga asanas, difficult. The pain aggravated in the past seven-eight months, making knee movement difficult and painful for him. Hence under the expert's advice, he decided to go for the surgery.
Robot-assisted surgery has enormous advantages. The key benefits of robot-assisted orthopaedic surgery over conventional orthopaedic techniques are enhanced precision, more reproducible outcomes and reliability. The advanced technology and robotic arms give the surgeon better access and control, helping them make better decisions. This surgery is also performed with minor tissue damage, cuts, and blood losses, reducing the chances of infection.
We have two main ligaments in the knee, the Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) and the Posterior Cruciate Ligament (PCL). In most surgeries, the Cruciate Ligaments are sacrificed, which, although is a good technique, can lead to extended postoperative hospitalization. With Cruciate-Retaining Surgery, doctors retain the PCL, which stabilizes the joint better and gives a more natural feeling. This results in patients being able to move and walk much faster and go back to their daily lives with minimum complications. We have done the first Robotic Cruciate-Retaining Knee Replacement Surgery, a golden milestone in advanced orthopaedic care.
Dr Pramod Bhor, HOD-Orthopedic Surgery, Fortis Hiranandani Hospital, Vashi, who performed the surgery, says, “With Robotic Cruciate-Retaining Surgery, there are immense benefits. The most important is that this surgery ensures better results for the patient. There is significantly less post-operative pain, less blood loss, and revisions required to the surgeries are less, as the implants in the knee can last up to 25 years! Further, with the operation being conducted by a robotic arm, there is no handholding required by the surgeon as the machine can perform the cuts with a minimum bone loss with submillimeter precision. The machine requires minimum human interference. Further, before the operation, everything is planned out to the last minute, which means that the surgery time is also effectively reduced. Less surgery time reduces the risk of complications, which is another significant benefit of this surgery type.”
“I have lived with knee pain for a very long time. And with age, I had accepted that knee pain would never go away. I was also scared of the pain post the surgery, so I was hesitant about getting the surgery done. But the team assured me that this surgery would be different as this robotic surgery has a short recovery period and very little post-operative pain. The doctor even said that I would begin to walk properly in a day or two”, says the patient.
This Robotic Knee Replacement Surgery is a stepping stone in orthopaedic care for doctors and patients. It will help patients recover faster while reducing expenses on post-surgery care and medicines on one hand, and enable doctors to perform surgeries with minimum risks on the other hand.
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