Oaklawn marks milestone with Mako robotic-arm technology for joint surgeries

MARSHALL – Oaklawn’s Sports Medicine and Orthopedic Surgery team recently completed 750 cases with its Mako Robotic-Arm Assisted Technology.

“Reaching this milestone signifies Oaklawn’s dedication and initiative to stay at the forefront in technology, continuing to progress in the latest technology while providing patients with a great experience,” said Rachael J. Herrera, Oaklawn’s surgery director.

In early 2019, Oaklawn became the first hospital in its region to offer the technology, which was created by the Kalamazoo-based multinational medical-technologies corporation Stryker Corp. The system was designed to perform joint surgeries, including full and partial knee replacements.

In just four years, Oaklawn’s team of board-certified orthopedic surgeons has continued to gain expertise in applying the Mako Smart Robotics System to patients’ joint issues.

The three board-certified surgeons on Oaklawn’s orthopedics team are Paul Aschmetat, D.O., William Comai, D.O., and Kimberly McLean, D.O.

Oaklawn’s orthopedic services are based at the Marshall Specialty Clinic at 203 Winston Drive in Marshall. The office may be contacted at (269) 789-4380. More information about Oaklawn’s surgical team is available at oaklawnhospital.org/ortho.

“Use of the Mako robot has shown to decrease length of stay in the hospital setting and has decreased overall rehabilitation time,” Herrera said, adding that such use “increases patient safety and improves patient outcomes.”

Most of the 750 cases involved total knee arthroplasty, a procedure intended to restore the knee’s function, McLean said. The orthopedics team expects to reach a total of 1,000 Mako cases in the coming year, she added.

The Mako Smart Robotics system was the first and remains the only robotic technology that can be used across the orthopedic service line to perform total knee, total hip and partial knee procedures, according to a Stryker report.

“Because of this innovative technology, a surgeon is able to personalize the procedure to meet the individual needs of each patient,” McLean said.

More than 1,000 Mako SmartRobotics systems have been installed in every state in the contiguous United States as well as 28 other countries, according to a Stryker study based on 15 years of experience with robot-arm assisted surgery.

“Oaklawn sees quality patient care as our ultimate aim,” said J. Summer Liston-Crandall, M.D., Oaklawn’s chief medical officer.

“Utilizing the Mako robot for orthopedic procedures increases the safety of surgery and improves postoperative outcomes for these patients,” Liston-Crandall added. “We feel fortunate to have Dr. Aschmetat, Dr. Comai and Dr. McLean performing these surgeries at Oaklawn.”