Meet Mako: Robotic Arm Assisted Technology now available at Ormiston Hospital & Healthcare

An exciting milestone for Ormiston Hospital & Healthcare – we recently welcomed a new robot to the surgical team: Meet Mako! 

On May 12th Dr John Mutu-Grigg successfully completed the first Mako Robotic-Arm Assisted knee replacement surgery right here at Ormiston. This marks a major step forward in delivering advanced orthopaedic care to the South and East Auckland community, improving patient outcomes and recovery time with this world-class technology right here at home.

“At Ormiston Hospital & Healthcare, our mission has always been to deliver world-class care, right here in our community. The introduction of Mako Robotic-Arm Assisted Surgery represents a significant milestone in that journey. This technology allows us to provide a new level of precision, personalisation and excellence in joint replacement procedures, giving our patients access to the very best, close to home

We are proud to be at the forefront of surgical innovation in New Zealand. With Mako, we are not only enhancing surgical accuracy and improving patient recovery times, but we are also investing in a future where healthcare is smarter, safer and more tailored to individual needs. This is an exciting leap forward for orthopaedics in South and East Auckland, and we look forward to seeing the many benefits it brings to our patients, clinicians and wider community” – Acting CEO Zoltan Varadi

What is Mako?

Mako is an advanced robotic system designed to assist orthopedic surgeons during joint replacement procedures. Unlike traditional methods, Mako uses a CT scan to tailor the surgery to the patient’s unique joint anatomy, making for a completely personalised procedure. During surgery, the surgeon guides the robotic arm while the technology ensures they stay within the predefined boundaries of the surgical plan.

Why does it matter? The clinical benefits of using Mako in joint replacement surgery:

Studies have shown that Mako-assisted surgeries can lead to:

• Reduced pain and shorter recovery times/hospital stays ^{1, 2, 3}
• More accurate bone removal and implant placement ^{4, 5}
• Less trauma to surrounding tissues ⁶
• Higher patient satisfaction rates ⁷
  

For instance, in partial knee replacement surgeries, Mako has demonstrated quicker recovery with 9 out of 10 patients walking without an aid within three weeks post-surgery ⁸. Dr. John Mutu-Grigg, who performed the first Mako-assisted knee replacement surgeries at Ormiston, has observed that the knee is more stable because it is designed specifically for the individual patient. This personalised approach results in a knee that feels more natural, leading to faster recovery times and reducing the need for any follow up surgeries which can be common with a traditional knee replacement. 

 A Leap Forward in Joint Replacement Surgery

Robotic-arm assisted surgery represents the future of orthopaedic care, and Ormiston is proud to offer this advanced technology to both our patients and surgeons. It’s an investment in the future, delivering exceptional outcomes that are setting new standards in joint replacement. If you’re in South Auckland, East Auckland or elsewhere in NZ and are exploring knee or hip replacement options, we suggest you consult with one of our local orthopaedic specialists to see if Mako-assisted surgery is suitable for you. 

Other tech updates:

Ormiston Hospital and Healthcare is committed to leading the pack when it comes to technology updates to ensure the best for our patients. We recently welcomed a da Vinci robot to our urology, gynecology and general surgery departments and look out for a very near future piece on our upcoming CO2 scar revision laser.

Note: Always consult with a qualified healthcare professional to determine the best treatment option for your specific medical needs.

1. Cool CL, Jacofsky DJ, Seeger KA, Sodhi N, Mont MA. A 90-day episode-of-care cost analysis of robotic-arm assisted total knee arthroplasty. J Comp Eff Res. 2019;8(5):327- doi:10.2217/cer-2018-0136
2. Wang, et al. Relative Clinical Outcomes Comparing Manual and Robotic Assisted Total Knee Arthroplasty at Minimum 1 Year Follow-up. Poster Presentation at Orthopaedic Research Society, Austin, TX, Feb 2-5, 2019
3. Kayani B, Konan S, Tahmassebi J, Rowan FE, Haddad FS. An assessment of early functional rehabilitation and hospital discharge in conventional versus robotic-arm assisted unicompartmental knee arthroplasty: a prospective cohort study. Bone Joint J. 2019;101-B(1):24-33. doi:10.1302/0301-620X.101B1.BJJ-2018-0564.R2
4. Ingelsrud LH, Roos EM, Terluin B, Gromov K, Husted H, Troelsen A. Minimal important change values for the Oxford Knee Score and the Forgotten Joint Score at 1year after total knee replacement. Acta Orthop. 2018;89(5):541- 547
5. Sires JD, Craik JD, Wilson CJ. Accuracy of Bone Resection in MAKO Total Knee Robotic-Assisted Surgery. J Knee Surg. 2021 Jun;34(7):745-748. doi: 10.1055/s-0039-1700570. Epub 2019 Nov 6. PMID: 31694057
6. Kayani B, Konan S, Pietrzak JRT, Haddad FS. Iatrogenic bone and soft tissue trauma in robotic-arm assisted total knee arthroplasty compared with conventional jig-based total knee arthroplasty: a prospective cohort study and validation of a new classification system. J Arthroplasty. 2018;33(8):2496-2501. doi:10.1016/j.arth.2018.03.042
7. Marchand R, Sodhi N, Anis H, Ehiorobo J, Newman J, Taylor K, Condrey C, Heptinstall M, Mont M. One-Year Patient Outcomes for Robotic-Arm-Assisted versus Manual Total Knee Arthroplasty. J Knee Surg. 2019 Nov;32(11):1063-1068
8. Coon T, Shi S, DeBattista J. Clinical and functional outcomes of robotic-arm assisted medial unicompartmental knee arthroplasty. Poster No. P59. European Knee Society 2017 Annual Meeting. London, England.. April 19-21, 2017