"When we first started doing joint replacements in the 1970s,
patients were just happy to go from a wheelchair to walking," says Dr.
Ortiguera. "Now, middle-aged and younger patients are looking to
regain the activity levels they had before their joints wore down.
Rightly or wrongly, they want to continue with high-demand activi-
ties."
Custom implants have been one way of improving joint replacement
surgeries, but the ultimate success of any implant is based on how accu-
rately the implantation is made and balanced. For younger patients —
and even older patients — who expect to continue a more rigorous
lifestyle, longevity of an implant and returning the joint to near normal
function are major considerations that make them seek out the accuracy
provided by robotic-assisted surgery.
"I think it's because of improved technology and better implants
that we're seeing less wear rates that translate into a longer lifespan
for the implant, which is important for younger patients," says Dr.
Miller. "In highly active patients, the wear rate is about .04 millime-
ters a year, which means it would take them 25 years to wear
through a millimeter of polyethylene."
The progress that robotic platforms will make in the next five to 10
A P R I L 2 0 2 0 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y. N E T • 5 1
• PLANNING AHEAD Robotic plat-
forms let surgeons map out preferred
surgical pathways and guide them to
make near-perfect bone cuts during
surgery.
