Surgeons at Strathfield Private Hospital are delighted with their new assistant – a robot named ROSA that is helping them to deliver better outcomes for patients.
Dr Paul Della Torre was the first orthopaedic surgeon at the Sydney hospital to use the highly-advanced surgical robot assistant, which is designed to help tailor the placement of knee implants for individual patients.
It provides computer navigation, soft-tissue balancing and 3D modelling for knee replacement procedures.
“ROSA has the potential to reduce time to full recovery, maximise accuracy in balance and implantation of prostheses and make the workflow for surgical teams more efficient,” Dr Della Torre said.
Trained in three robotic arthroplasty systems, he said ROSA was the most advanced and most recent technology he had worked with.
“I am delighted to be able to offer ROSA to patients at Strathfield Private Hospital,” Dr Della Torre said.
“Seeing the surgical team’s enthusiasm and collaboration on this new system was exciting – we all enjoyed using this new technology.”
The system collects data before and during surgery to help position the knee implant according to the patient’s individual specifications.
Head of Orthopaedics Dr Daniel Rahme said ROSA provided another level of verification from previous methods used at Strathfield Private Hospital, which performs 200 to 300 knee replacements each year amid rising demand.
“ROSA is a good tool for checking we have done what we planned to do,” he said.
CEO Rowann O’Mullane said the hospital’s investment in robotics offered a minimally-invasive approach to surgery that gave patients the best possible outcomes.
“The aim of the robotic knee replacement system is to allow our specialists to perform complex surgical procedures with enhanced accuracy and control,” she said.
“Having ROSA on our staff at Strathfield is certainly a welcome addition to our surgical team.
“Adopting new medical technology is important for continued improvement in patient care, efficiency and to attract the best medical specialists.”
