No. The robot at SPARSH does not operate independently at any point during robotic knee replacement. The surgeon remains fully in control of the procedure throughout. The robotic system acts as a precision tool - it maps the patient's anatomy, assists with pre-operative planning, and provides real-time guidance for bone cuts, soft tissue preservation, size and position of implant. Every surgical decision is made by the surgeon.
The MAKO robotic system, for example, helps the surgeon define the boundaries of bone removal and alerts them if a movement moves outside the planned zone. This provides a layer of intra-operative accuracy that is difficult to replicate with manual instruments alone - but the system responds to the surgeon's inputs and cannot initiate any movement independently. A certified, experienced surgeon using the system is what makes the technology clinically valuable.
Written by Dr Shrishti Patil, MS Ortho, Consultant Orthopaedic and Robotic Joint Replacement Surgeon, SPARSH Hospital, Hennur Road, Bengaluru.
To book a consultation with Dr Shrishti Patil at SPARSH Hospital, Hennur Road, Bengaluru, visit linqmd.com/doctors/dr-shrishti-patil-joint-replacement-surgeon-hennur-bengaluru
