
Johannesburg - In a first for the African continent, a full knee replacement operation has been carried out using the state-of-the-art Mako robotic arm assisted surgery system.
According to Netcare, the surgery was performed at its Linksfield Hospital in Johannesburg.
“There is no national register for local total knee replacements currently, but with an estimated 8 000 to 10 000 total knee replacements taking place in South Africa each year, this technology could signal a new era in personalised joint replacement,” said orthopaedic surgeon, Dr Chris McCready, who performed the operation.
The system for total knee replacements was already well established in Europe, the United States and the United Kingdom, said McCready.
Last year, it was used for over 250 000 procedures internationally, and can also be used for hip and partial knee replacements.