South County Hospital and Ortho Rhode Island are celebrating the 10 Year Anniversary of Stryker’s Mako SmartTechnology^TM, the first to bring this technology to Rhode Island.

South County Hospital’s commitment to purchase this state of the art equipment, along with Ortho Rhode Island’s skilled physicians, returned mobility to 10,000 patients who previously suffered from hip and knee pain — positioning them as the global leader in number of Mako surgeries performed.

The orthopedic surgeons of Ortho Rhode Island pioneered the use of this robotic arm-assisted surgical device. With over 10,000 successful knee and hip procedures to date, South County Hospital in partnership with Ortho Rhode Island leads market share for orthopedic surgery in Rhode Island and draws patients from near and far who recognize their record of success. Dr. Robert C. Marchand is the leader in Mako surgeries in Rhode Island and is also recognized internationally as he educates fellow orthopedic surgeons from countries such as Australia, China, Japan, Canada, Italy and numerous others, as well as states across the U.S.

The response from patients who undergo orthopedic procedures with Mako technology is a testament to the benefits it brings. Allan Hurst, a retired robotics teacher from Cranston, was Dr. Marchand’s first patient to undergo a partial knee replacement on December 10, 2010. To this day, Hurst still credits Dr. Marchand and South County Hospital for returning him to an active lifestyle pain free.

Clinical evidence collected for the past decade supports the satisfaction that Hurst and other patients experience. Mako SmartTechnology™ demonstrates the potential for patients to experience less pain, less need for opiate analgesics, less need for inpatient physical therapy, reduction in length of hospital stay, improved knee flexion and soft tissue protection in comparison to manual techniques.^1,2

"Opportunities often arise in orthopedics where precision technologies are developed for the benefit of the patient. It is incumbent upon both the surgeon group and the health system to adopt these technologies in accordance with patient outcomes and safety,” says Dr. Michael Bradley, President/CEO of Ortho Rhode Island. “Ortho Rhode Island's partnership with South County Health exemplifies two organizations working together to ensure constant progress in orthopedics. Ten years ago it started with the Mako robot, and as precision technologies continue to grow we are happy to be leading the way."

Since first introducing Mako to the area in 2010, South County Hospital has invested in a total of three of the Mako robots due to the number of patients who wanted the precision only it could provide. In addition to Mako, South County Hospital uses more robotic technology than all other hospitals in the state.

“South County Health’s ongoing investment in technology, including Mako and an expansive robotic platform, positions us as the top orthopedic hospital in Rhode Island,” Aaron Robinson, President/CEO of South County Health said. “Precision from robotic-assisted joint replacement surgery under the care of our world class surgeons means faster healing and outcomes for patients, placing us in the top 5% of programs nationally. Ask our 10,000 patients who have benefited.”

1. Kayani B, Konan S, Tahmassebi J, Pietrzak JRT, Haddad FS. Robotic–arm assisted total knee arthroplasty is associated with improved early functional recovery and reduced time to hospital discharge compared with conventional jig-based total knee arthroplasty: A prospective cohort study. Bone Joint J. 2018;100-B(7):930-937. doi:10.1302/0301-620X.100B7.BJJ-2017-1449.R1 5.

2. 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