St Vincent’s Northside hits major milestone with 3000th Mako robotics joint surgery
St Vincent's Private Hospital Northside
St Vincent’s Private Hospital Northside has hit a major milestone, completing its 3000th robotic joint replacement – one of the leading hospitals in Australia for the innovative use of the technology that is changing and improving the lives of its patients.
While it took five years to notch the first 1000 robotic surgeries following the arrival at St Vincent’s Northside of the first Stryker Mako robotic system in June 2015, the 2000 mark was reached in around half that time (in March last year).
However, the surge to 3000 cases took around half of that time again – with the 2000 to 3000 milestone performed in just over 16 months. This was aided by St Vincent’s acquiring a second Stryker Mako robotics system in January, 2023.
Patients like David Taylor of Brisbane are reaping the benefits of the greater precision and quicker recovery in joint replacements from the technology. Just six weeks after he had a (partial) knee replacement, 77 year old David is back playing 18 holes of golf – and walking the entire course!
David’s surgery was performed in June by Dr Simon Perkins, who recently performed his 100th Mako joint replacement surgery – done across St Vincent’s Private Hospital Northside and the neighbouring Prince Charles Hospital.
Dr Perkins is a specialist in knee, hip, trauma and general orthopaedics and robotic knee and hip surgery with Brisbane Orthopaedic Specialist Services. He is also the Director of Orthopaedics at Prince Charles.
A team of experienced arthroplasty surgeons have led the development of total hip, total knee, and partial knee replacement surgery since Mako technology was introduced to St Vincent’s Private Hospital Northside over nine years ago.
The hospital has consistently led the way in utilising the state-of-the-art robotic technology to deliver the best possible outcomes for its orthopaedic patients. St Vincent’s Northside is now recognised for being one of the top five hospitals in Australia for the total number of Mako cases and for the highest total volume of Mako robotic joints performed in all of Queensland.
Dr Simon Perkins
Dr Perkins says patients are suitable candidates for joint replacement when they have arthritis that’s impacting their quality of life and when they experience regular joint pain which wakes them up at night and/or pain that impacts on their work or leisure activities.
“I work with my patients to first to establish that non-operative measures such as physiotherapy and analgesics aren’t working any more. If that’s the case, that’s when a patient would be suitable for joint replacement surgery,” says Dr Perkins.
“We start by discussing the pros and cons of the procedure and if we agree to proceed, I’ll then organise for a CT scan of their damaged hip or knee which then goes into the robot planning team and they work with us to come up with an appropriate plan for that patient’s specific joint and specific arthritis. We use the Mako for total hip replacement, total knee replacement and also partial knee replacement for positioning the patient’s implant effectively and to work to that pre-operative plan.”
Dr Perkins says robotic surgery ensures greater accuracy for the placement of the implant and generally results in a much better surgical outcome, exemplified by most patients experiencing less post-operative pain and having a quicker path to rehabilitation, reduced pain and almost full functionality.
Retired teacher David Taylor was finding the enjoyment from his sporting and social pursuits of golf, bowls and cycling was diminishing with increased pain in his right knee over the past year.
David’s wife died eight years ago and those leisure activities are a vital connection to his social and friendship groups and very important to his overall health and well-being.
“I love walking the 18 holes when I play golf at my local club and over the past year or so I was finding it was too painful to walk the course, so I was forced to use a golf cart which wasn’t as enjoyable. And not being able to walk regularly was detrimental to my general health and especially my heart health (David had double bypass surgery 15 years ago).
“I was also finding the knee pain at night becoming somewhat unbearable, so I went to see Dr Perkins to discuss the pros and cons of knee replacement surgery. We agreed that I should wait 12 months but after nine months I couldn’t stand it much longer, so I booked in for surgery on June 17.”
David Taylor
Dr Perkins says David had isolated arthritis on the inside of his right knee which made him a good candidate for a partial knee replacement (also called unicompartmental knee arthroplasty) with the Mako robotics system, as he had degenerative arthritis in only one part of the knee joint.
“The ability of the Mako robot to streamline particularly partial knee replacements is very useful. It allows the implant to be put in with precision and we know that the implant is the right shape and size and fit for that patient,” says Dr Perkins.
David has nothing but praise for Dr Perkins and the St Vincent’s Private Hospital Northside theatre and ward staff for ensuring he got back to his leisure routine quicker than he expected.
“The procedure was fine – no problems. I was only in hospital for a couple of nights and I didn’t have to take painkillers after I left hospital, which was amazing,” he says.
“There were a few weeks of rehab. Six weeks after surgery I was back on the golf course and delighted to be walking the full 18 holes again. I’m glad I didn’t wait any longer to have the surgery, as I’m told that you can leave it too long. It was well worth it. A few people at the golf and bowls clubs have had knee and hip surgery and we compare notes and experiences.”
Dr Craig Hughes
Dr Craig Hughes is another of St Vincent’s Northside leading surgeons working with the Mako robotics system. As a hip and knee orthopaedic surgeon with Brisbane Orthopaedic Specialist Services, based at St Vincent’s Northside, Dr Hughes has performed over 400 robotic surgeries.
“St Vincent’s has been great in their pioneering of robotic surgery and in their investment in the robots because they’re quite an expensive piece of equipment,” says Dr Hughes.
“Part of the rationale for the investment in technology from St Vincent’s was that we’d all share the robot together and we’d all go on the journey of learning how to use it appropriately to improve our patient’s care - and all of the orthopaedic surgeons at the hospital have access to it and everyone’s proficient in its use.
“I tell patients the robot is a bit like flying a plane. In the old days of flight, you used to have a compass and a watch. Now with the robot, it’s like having GPS and all technology that an instrument panel does in a modern jet.
“The Mako robotics system really tells us accurately where we’re putting the components and what the soft tissue balance is like for that knee replacement at the end of the procedure. It makes a huge difference in the patient’s recovery.”
Dr Hughes says studies now show patients get out of hospital faster after a robot knee replacement compared to a non-robotic knee replacement. Their patient satisfaction scores increase and their complication rates decrease.
“These days I only do joint replacements with the robotic system. I think it’s an advancement in surgical technique. It’s safe – it’s been well proven now and I can’t think of a reason not to do a robotic knee replacement,” he says.
Oli Steele, CEO of St Vincent’s Private Hospital Northside hailed the St Vincent’s Northside milestone of 3000 robotic surgeries and commended all of the specialists, surgical and rehabilitation staff, nurses and other support staff who were dedicated to ensuring that all patients were well cared for and that they had the optimal health outcome from their surgery.
He says the hospital has consistently led the way in utilising the state-of-the-art robotic technology to deliver the best possible outcomes for its orthopaedic patients.
“St Vincent’s Private Hospital Northside was proudly Queensland’s first hospital offering Mako technology and also registered another first when it became Brisbane’s only hospital featuring two Mako robotic systems,” says Mr Steele.
“Our ongoing investment in state-of-the-art technology reinforces our commitment to support our doctors and provide treatment choice to deliver exceptional patient-centred care.”
He also praised the partnership with the Stryker Mako team who had been a significant part of the journey to 3000 surgeries.
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