Robots will be used to carry out hip and knee surgery in the first clinical trial of its kind in Wales. The state-of-the art robots will be put to the test in a trial which is being funded through the National Institute for Health and Care Research and delivered in partnership with Hywel Dda University Health Board.
Joint replacement surgery is one of the most common operations performed by the NHS, and the aim of the trial is to determine whether using robots will result in better outcomes for patients. You can get the latest WalesOnline newsletters e-mailed to you directly for free by signing up here.
The surgery works with the use of a robotic arm which helps to prepare the bone and inserts components to a pre-programmed three-dimensional plan. It is hoped that using the robot will enable more precise and consistent surgical techniques, which could potentially prevent poor outcomes and complications that result in a patient requiring further surgery.
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The robotic trial will be tested within Hywel Dda University Health Board - which manages healthcare in Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire - from this month, having been set up jointly between Warwick Medical School at the University of Warwick, University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire (UHCW) NHS Trust, and the Royal Orthopaedic Hospital (ROH) in Birmingham.
“Robot-assisted surgery is used with great success in many procedures and can bring numerous advantages when compared to standard surgery,” said consultant orthopaedic surgeon Professor Peter Cnudde. “It is a big achievement for the team to be at the forefront of a world-leading multi-centre study like this, and we’re really pleased to be able to get the clinical trial started. Adding robot-assisted surgery to the surgical provision available at Hywel Dda UHB will, I believe, be of real benefit to our patients, and I look forward to leading this important piece of work.”
Professor Chris Hopkins, head of innovation and the Tritech Institute at Hywel Dda University Health Board, said: “We are pleased that our surgeons at Hywel Dda UHB are playing a leading role in this clinical trial. We hope that the programme will lead to improved patient outcomes and go some way in tackling pressures in our system and our planned care waiting lists. The research findings will undoubtedly help orthopaedic surgeons across our health board and across the world understand the most effective tools and technology for performing hip and knee replacement surgery and deliver excellent patient care.”
As well as recording patient outcomes, the trial will include an in-depth analysis which will be used to inform the NHS if robot-assisted technology should be used more widely. Professor Leighton Phillips, director for research, innovation and university partnerships at Hywel Dda University Health Board, said: “At Hywel Dda UHB, we pride ourselves on enabling our staff to engage in research and development that not only meets the needs of our current population but forges the way for future patients.
"We welcome the partnership with the Warwick Medical School at the University of Warwick, University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire (UHCW) NHS Trust, and the Royal Orthopaedic Hospital (ROH) in Birmingham and the National Institute for Health and Care Research and look forward to influencing future orthopaedic innovations through our findings.”
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