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And we didn't have to shell out huge money
upfront to add the technology. With a capital
lease program — basically a lease-to-own
arrangement with monthly payments spread out
over several years — our one payment covers
everything from hardware to software upgrades
to maintenance fees.
2. Better outcomes
Outcomes can be the key to driving and shifting
market share, and the improvements robots pro-
vide is dramatic. In a widely quoted 2011 study of 1,823 total hips done at
Massachusetts General Hospital (osmag.net/ds5vfd), surgeons without robots
managed to place acetabular cups within both the desired abduction range and
the desired version range (the angle of femoral neck in relationship to the shaft
of the femur) only about half the time.
Why should that matter? When implants aren't in optimal position, there's a
higher risk of dislocation, there are variances in leg lengths, and there's likely to
be accelerated wear and loosening of parts. It may take long-term studies to
prove that improved accuracy afforded by robotics promotes longer implant
wear, but we're already seeing decreased dislocation rates and indications that
patients have better functional outcomes when all of the implant parts are
placed in optimal positions.
Beyond that, imagine telling patients that you're going to replace their joints
the way it's been done for the last 40 years or so, and, by the way, your surgeons
have only about a 50% shot of getting it completely right. I think most people
would say there has to be a better way. And there is. With robotics, surgeons
can hit a much smaller target and improve implant placement at least 95% of the
time.
• FINE TUNING Robotic platforms help surgeons
place implants in optimal positions, which can
improve functional outcomes.
