Knee replacement system comes to South Shore University Hospital

South Shore University Hospital in Bay Shore has become the first facility on Long Island to perform total knee replacement surgeries using the robotic Zimmer Biomet ROSA Knee System.

The tool is a robotically assisted surgical system designed to help perform total knee replacement surgery. ROSA, or Robotic Surgical Assistant, provides a greater degree of accuracy for orthopedic surgeons and a faster recovery for the patient.

Michael Nett, chair of orthopaedic surgery at SUHH, said the technology focuses on soft tissue, which allows a patient to get back to their normal activities.

“A total knee replacement isn’t just a bony surgery, but rather a soft tissue balancing surgery,” Nett said in a press release. “Using the robot, I can evaluate the patient’s range of motion during surgery and assess the ligament tension throughout the knees’ range of motion.”

Nett added: “Attention on the soft tissues and ligaments is really what is most important to give you a knee that is functionally stable and allows a patient to get back to their normal activities.”

Data provided by the technology alerts surgeons to any minor movements a patient’s leg makes during surgery. The system also allows surgeons to create three-dimensional renderings of a patient’s joint using images obtained by x-rays. Through ROSA Knee, surgeons can create a personalized surgical plan, formulated by thoroughly reviewing each patient’s anatomy prior to surgery.

“Robotics have become an integral part of our joint replacement program, which recently received accreditation as an Advanced Center of Excellence in Knee and Hip Replacement from the joint commission,” Keith Reinhardt, chief of joint reconstruction at the hospital, said. “The addition of robotics is in line with our pursuit of enhancing our patients’ recovery and our commitment to becoming the preferred destination for joint replacement in the region.”

Total knee replacement is one of the most performed elective surgical procedures in the United States with approximately 700,000 conducted each year. According to a ROSA Knee information brochure, the technology was introduced in 2012 and since then, surgeons have implanted over one million personal total knees.

“For everyone involved – surgeons, medical staff and, most importantly, patients – ROSA Knee has the potential to offer a number of key benefits and advantages,” SSUH’s executive director Donna Moravick said. “We know the decision to have joint replacement is often a difficult one for patients to make, and we believe having these robotically-assisted technologies close to home have the potential to make it an easier one moving forward.”

In recent years, patients who receive total joint replacement surgeries at SSUH are typically discharged from the hospital on the same day that they have the surgery.

To book an appointment with one of our fellowship trained surgeons or to learn more about robotic total knee replacement surgery, call 631-647-3800.