New Shoulder Replacement Robot Helps Personalize Treatment

Technology continues to pave a new path in the medical field.

Mercy Medical Center is the first hospital in the region to offer a new way to perform shoulder replacement surgery, a procedure that some women may need as they age.

Technology can make people’s lives easier in so many ways, and for doctors, some advances in tech are helping them to be even more precise when performing surgery.

Shoulder replacement surgery is often recommended for patients experiencing chronic shoulder pain, arthritis, rotator cuff arthropathy, or significant loss of shoulder function that has not responded to conservative treatments.

Gregory V. Gasbarro, M.D., board-certified, shoulder-fellowship-trained orthopedic surgeon at The Shoulder, Elbow, Wrist and Hand Center at Mercy and medical director of the Shoulder Joint Journey program, is trained and is now using the Mako SmartRobotics™ technology for shoulder replacement surgery. The robot utilizes a detailed 3D CT scan to create a personalized surgical plan based on each individual patient.

“It just makes me more accurate. So, it has what they call haptic technology, which is like your phone vibrating. So, I create that 3D plan and then when I go to execute the surgery, what it does is it keeps me within a virtual boundary. So, if I go outside that boundary, the robot automatically stops me, making me even more precise doing these surgeries,” Dr. Gasbarro said.

Dr. Gasbarro noted he had operated on two women and two men in the first week of using this new technology, all over the age of 60. In general, after surgery, patients have to wear a sling for four weeks and there’s physical therapy.

After that, general activity is available at three to four months, but full recovery is about six months after surgery.

View Mercy orthopedic surgeon and shoulder specialist Dr. Gregory Gasbarro’s interview regarding the Mako robotic arm-assisted surgery for shoulder replacement.