The Mako SmartRobotics system — a robotic arm controlled by a surgeon during hip and knee surgeries — is revolutionizing orthopaedic surgeries and providing better patient outcomes.
QEII Foundation donors were the catalysts to bring Canada’s second orthopaedic robot — and Atlantic Canada’s first — to the QEII in late 2021. Collectively, donors contributed $2.5 million for the robot and affiliated research.
Personalized care is at the forefront of surgical robotics. The technology allows orthopaedic surgeons to investigate and precisely replace a joint that is tailored to the patient, by adapting the surgical plan based on a patient’s unique skeletal shape and soft tissue envelope.
Since its arrival, dozens of patients have benefitted from customized surgical techniques and greater precision, which reduces revision rates and allows surgeons to make smaller incisions, preventing soft tissue damage. Minimally invasive surgeries mean less pain, less bleeding and a quicker recovery time — all leading to shorter hospital stays.
Affiliated research is also driving innovation in orthoapedics. Data is collected from each surgery that helps QEII, Nova Scotia Health and Dalhousie University experts study the efficacy of robotics in knee and hip surgeries. This data is crucial to understanding each patient’s needs, improve patient outcomes and tailor the surgical approach for more personalized care.
Bringing the Mako SmartRobotics system to the QEII is a prime example of our $100-million We Are campaign at work and the role philanthropy can play in elevating health care to new heights. This is just one of the life-changing priorities that QEII Foundation donors have funded for patients and their families through We Are.
Watch our video. See how robotics is transforming orthopaedic care:
