NUFFIELD HEALTH
THE NEXT GENERATION IN JOINT REPLACEMENT SURGERY Nuffield Health Cardiff and Vale Hospitals are the first hospital in Wales to offer robotic arm assisted surgery for joint replacement.
Two Pioneering patients undergo this Incredible robotic joint surgery, and share their story and experiences. Mrs Pamela Chapman, of Dinas Powys, was the first patient in Wales, with the surgeon using Mako robotic arm-assisted surgery, to have her hip replaced. A few weeks now since her November operation, Mrs Chapman says she frequently forgets she has had either a painful hip or the surgery, as her right hip is so much improved. When the option to have Stryker Smartrobotics at Nuffield Health Cardiff and Vale Hospitals was mentioned, Mrs Chapman said she felt confident that this was the right way to go. Pamela said, “ It was so reassuring to hear how very precise the procedure would be, with quicker recovery and reduced pain. It was all very impressive and exciting. Compared to my friend who has had a conventional hip replacement, my wound was less messy, seemed cleaner and healed more quickly. I would firmly recommend it.” A joint replacement can help people return to every-day activities like walking, bending, sleeping and driving, without pain or stiffness. The Stryker Mako system offers a high level of alignment and positioning of the new hip or knee joint during surgery. Using a detailed individualised plan, with a 3D virtual model of the patient’s anatomy,
devised from their CT scan before surgery, the surgeon is able to implant the joint replacement in the best position for the patient with a high degree of accuracy. Mr D Phillip Thomas was Pamela’s orthopaedic surgeon and the 79 year old selected him to do the hip replacement, following advice
from her physiotherapist. Her GP had referred her for physiotherapy when her knee was giving her pain. The Nuffield Health physio Adrian Brown, who had treated a neck problem previously with miraculous results, recommended referral to an orthopaedic surgeon and a hip x-ray, as he wasn’t convinced it was the knee which was causing the problem. When she came in for surgery with Mr Thomas, Pamela said everything and everyone she came across was excellent.
Whilst the surgeon still performs the surgery, the robotic arm is there to be guided by the surgeon to accurately remove diseased and damaged bone and cartilage. The new implant, which the robot has helped size, is then fitted precisely into the space created. The process is failsafe, as the robot prevents anything being done which isn’t exactly right. Mrs Chapman said she loved being at the Nuffield Vale hospital for three nights and wanted to stay for a week! Physios Nicky and Christina have helped her immensely and she was out of bed on a frame early in the morning, just hours after her hip replacement in the late afternoon.
