BMH surgeon performs 500th robot-assisted joint replacement

Board-certified orthopedic surgeon H. Kevin Jones, M.D., and his surgical team celebrated a milestone recently. They completed their 500th robot-assisted joint replacement surgery last week at Beaufort Memorial Hospital.

“This is an exciting milestone,” said Jones, who sees patients at Beaufort Memorial Orthopaedic Specialists in Okatie and Beaufort. “The Mako SmartRobotics technology has been a game changer for total joint replacement, and we are seeing great outcomes.”

Jones and several other Beaufort Memorial surgeons began using the Mako surgical system for knee replacements in February 2020 and added robot-assisted hip replacement the next year, with Jones performing the hospital’s first hip replacement using the technology.

Jones, who serves as medical director of the Hip and Knee Replacement Program at BMH, is an expert in the assessment, preser- vation and restoration of joint function, specializing in total hip and knee replacement. With the Mako SmartRobotics system, a CT scan is taken of the joint prior to surgery in order to create a 3D virtual model of the patient’s anatomy. The surgeon uses the model to evaluate bone structure, disease severity, joint alignment and the surrounding bone and tissue to determine the optimal size, placement and alignment of the implant components.

Clinical studies have shown the state-ofthe-art surgical system improves outcomes by allowing the surgeon to customize the placement and alignment of the implant components to each patients’ unique anatomy, providing more natural movement of the joint and increasing its longevity.

Due to the added precision, most patients also experience less post-operative pain and a faster return to normal activities, with some going home the day of their surgery.

“This is a testament to the Beaufort Memorial total joint program, which includes a really talented office staff, dedicated professionals in the Joint Replacement Center and hospital leadership keeping our program on the cutting edge,” said Jones.

For more information, visit bmhsc.org/ mako.