Nuffield Health Exeter Hospital performs its 2,500th Mako robotic-assisted surgery

Nuffield Health Exeter Hospital has performed its 2500th surgery with the Mako robotic-arm assisted surgery system, which enables consultant surgeons to carry out more precise knee and hip replacements.

The Mako technology is an innovative system that uses a robotic arm to remove damaged bone and cartilage and allows more precise positioning of the new hip or knee implant, with consultant surgeons creating a 3D model based on the patient’s anatomy.

Patients have experienced reduced pain and faster recovery times, while hospital stays are shorter, with some patients able to go home that same evening. When combined with the latest generation of joint implants, the replacement has the potential to last many years longer with better functional results. There is now considerable evidence supporting the benefits of Mako surgery including longer term survivorship stated above.

The 2,500th surgery undertaken at the hospital was for a successful knee replacement that was performed by orthopaedic surgeon, Professor Andrew Toms who said:

“It’s been an amazing journey with Mako, I completed the first procedure almost exactly 8 years ago, and now robotic surgery has become part and parcel of everything we do. It’s been such a success and a real step forward in improving patients’ outcomes. Ultimately who doesn’t want improved accuracy and greater precision when performing knee and hip replacements, they are such a complex 3-dimensional challenge. Seeing the improvements in patients’ recovery and return to active life is such a joy.”

Patricia Warwick, Hospital Director at Nuffield Health Exeter Hospital, said: “Our 2,500th surgery using the Mako® robot demonstrates our hospital team’s ambition to ensure that people in the local community and further afield with joint conditions have access to the best possible experiences. This important milestone has been achieved through the hard work of our hospital team and continued support received from the great team at Stryker”

The Mako technology is manufactured by Stryker and it highlights Nuffield Health Exeter Hospital’s ambition to provide patients with access to best-in-class healthcare technology. Nuffield Health also recently announced a £200 million partnership with GE Healthcare to invest in the latest AI-enabled diagnostics equipment, underscoring the hospitals position as a leading provider of orthopaedic surgery in the south west.