Need a Hand?

Surgeons who perform knee surgery at Florida Hospital Waterman are given an extra hand — in the form of a robot. MAKOplasty robotic partial knee resurfacing was introduced at the hospital two and a half months ago. So far, the results have been excellent, with patients experiencing smaller incisions, shorter hospital stays, faster recovery times, and less rehabilitation.

Dr. Jon Radnothy of Radnothy-Perry Orthopaedics in Tavares was the driving force in bringing this stateof-the-art technology to Florida Hospital Waterman. “MAKOplasty offers as precise results as you can pos-

“I was Dr. Radnothy’s first patient to undergo this procedure. I was amazed at the results. I immediately had lots of flexibility and experienced no pain and did not have to take drugs. I would wholeheartedly recommend this procedure to anyone who is undergoing a knee replacement.” sibly obtain,” he says. “There are only a small number of hospitals who are willing to invest in this technology. That speaks volumes as to how much the administration of Florida Hospital Waterman cares about residents of Lake County.”

Before the surgery, a CT scan is used to make a three-dimensional image of a patient’s knee. Then, the surgeon calculates a customized surgical plan that precisely pinpoints where arthritic knee surfaces need to be removed and where an implant should be placed. An added benefit is that healthy bone, ligaments, and tendons are spared.

“This technology allows the surgeons to precisely execute the pre-operative plan,” says Heather Wood, who serves as director of surgical services.

Florida Hospital Waterman is the only hospital in Lake, Marion, Sumter, Citrus, and Putnam counties to offer MAKOplasty robotic partial knee resurfacing. The procedure typically lasts between forty-five minutes to one hour.

The following local surgeons perform MAKOplasty:

SAMIR C. GURU, D.O., www.guruortho.com; DONALD PERRY,M.D., www.rpocenter.com; JON RADNOTHY, D.O., www.rpocenter.com. www.rpocenter.com.