DECEMBER - 20228In My OpinionTHE CHANGING LANDSCAPE OF ORTHOPAEDIC PRACTICE Brief Intro: I currently head the joint replacement unit in Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH), Singapore. I am a strong advocate of technology-enabling joint replacements such as computer navigation and robotic-assisted surgeries that can improve patient outcomes and simplify complex surgeries. I am also the Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) Clinical Lead for Knee Replacements in my institution.1. In your opinion, how has the Orthopedic landscape evolved over the years? What are some of the advantages of the current technological evolution?Joint Replacements have always demanded precision, accuracy, and reproducibility, which translate to better longevity of implants and patients' function. In our institution, we started from conventional knee replacement methods involving "eyeballing" the bone cuts to having most of our primary joint replacements done using computer navigation or robotics in 2021. Over the last couple of years, the most significant technological revolution in the orthopaedic landscape has been all about robotics, which promises even better accuracy and precision. Combined with Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) protocols, this has translated to better outcomes and fast-tracked ambulatory surgery joint replacements worldwide. The current application of robotics is predominantly in the field of unicompartmental knee replacement (UKR), total knee replacement (TKR), total hip replacement (THR) and spinal surgeries. UKR has seen the most transformation from conventional to robotic as national joint registry data shows significantly better survivorship for UKR performed using robotic means.(Data from Australian National Joint Registry 2021)Currently, there are many orthopaedic robots in the hugely competitive market. Some utilise image-based surgical planning, such as X-rays or Computed Tomography (CT) Kelvin Tan, Senior Consultant and Head of Adult Reconstruction Service, Tan Tock Seng HospitalBy
< Page 7 | Page 9 >