New Orthopedic Technology at Mercy Medical | Video

Evan Kruegel | 9/24/2012

Dr. Roxanne Keene has performed plenty of knee replacements, but her work is about to get much more precise. The hospital can now create custom cutting blocks tailored specifically for each patient, allowing Keene to spend more time preparing and less time in the operating room.

"If the cuts are wrong, the implant`s the same, but it changes the positioning of the knee when patients weight-bear. So if we can get it better aligned to how a normal knee should be, then they`ll have a better long term outcome."

The cutting blocks are created by taking a pre-operational CT-scan. Doctors can then evaluate the knee, and choose precise angles for how they want to operate.

"The MRI, what it does is it takes exactly what their knee contour is, both the tibia and the femur, and we`re able to adjust where our cuts will be made all on the computer preoperatively so that we don`t have to make those decisions during the time of surgery," said Keene.

Mercy also now has computer navigated instrumentation, which uses an infrared camera to assist doctors during the actual surgery. Both new technologies allow for increased accuracy and precision, and shorter operative time

"Number one is being able to bring in more of a specific implant, so that saves us from bringing in everything but the kitchen sink. I think number two is decreased operative time. We know in advance most of the time what we are going to encounter, we`ve seen it on MRI, and we know where our cuts are going to be made, so it decreases the amount of time for the patient. And hopefully the change in alignment and getting it to a precise number allows for better long term functioning as well," said Keene.

Knee replacement surgery is still very complicated, but these new technologies will allow doctors at Mercy to be better prepared and more accurate.

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