A 62-year-old United Kingdom national, Michael Mckenna, recently underwent a total hip replacement in a city hospital. He will return home next week and resume his routine.
Mr. Mckenna had been suffering from excruciating pain and approached the National Health Service for surgery. But doctors told him that after replacement, he would have to retire from his job as a builder. Then he approached SIMS Hospital, Vadapalani. Vijay C. Bose, joint director and senior consultant, Institute of Orthopaedics, offered him a high performance hip replacement that would let him go back to his job.
Dr. Bose said the hospital developed a technique that offered a solution as good as a robotic hip replacement surgery. According to him, very few centres across the world had invested in the robot, which could cost ₹8 crore. SIMS Hospital invested in developing a software instead. Digital Inclinometer-Co Axial Stitch Technique (Dicast) could be customised to the requirements of a surgeon. The software, loaded in a smart phone, helps the doctor place the implant accurately.
