KUALA LUMPUR: Kuala Lumpur General Hospital's (KLGH) joint replacement unit from the Department of Orthopaedic and Traumatology has announced the introduction and availability of robotic assisted joint replacement surgery complete with a live surgery workshop held here earlier today.
Dr Jeffrey Jaya Raj, consultant orthopaedic surgeon with the Joint Replacement Unit (JRU) at KLGH firmly believes that the introduction and incorporation of robotic assistance for surgeries is not only a step in the right direction but can also serve as a catalyst for further improvements and advancements over time for public healthcare right here in Malaysia.
"Those of us at JRU which is part of KLGH's Orthopaedic Department are indeed very honoured to introduce, host and organise the first National Robotic Assisted Live Surgery Workshop under the Health Ministry (MOH).
"Because we are the largest tertiary referral centre in the country, we perform a significant number of primary and complex hip revision and knee procedures each and every year.
"Where this year is concerned, we have stepped up our game by performing more than 300 procedures which is much more compared to previous years, and mind you, the year is not over yet.
"The technological advancements in joint replacement surgery have evolved tremendously over the last decade. Robotic assisted technology has become increasingly popular across the globe, thanks to its proven capabilities and achievements, namely in improving patients functional outcome, decreasing postoperative discomfort, lowering healthcare expenses, reduced revision rates while also shortening the hospitalisation period which is great news for patients," said Dr Jeffrey.
He pointed out that the sawbone and live surgical robotic assisted knee replacement demonstration performed by world renowned arthroplasty surgeon, Professor Rami Sorial from Sydney, Australia, was aimed at enabling local Arthroplasty surgeons and trainees under MOH to better equip themselves in embracing the use of the latest state-of-the-art technology being robotic assisted joint replacements.
"This is in line with the vision and goal of MOH while also allowing us to provide the best in terms of healthcare to the rakyat, therefore we must embrace technology because we cannot afford to be left behind," added Dr Jeffrey.
Dr Kunalan Ganthel, a consultant orthopaedic surgeon and the head of the hospital's JRU unit, firmly believes that robotic assistance is the way forward as it allows for better accuracy and planning especially for complex surgeries.
"There has been a welcome progression over the past couple of years, as I started performing surgeries initially with conventional jigs, followed by computer assisted navigation, and then now it's gone on to the next level with robotic assistance.
"We carried out our first case utilising robotic assistance on June 26th, and to date we have carried out 20 successful operations using robotics assistance over the past three months, and some were rather complex procedures.
"Having the very welcome addition of robotic assistance in the Operating Theatre (OT) helps us surgeons to better prepare for surgeries beforehand and enhances our operating performance while increasing accuracy.
"Over time hopefully as we get used to robotic assistance and the welcome addition of other advancements, we hope to complete surgeries and procedures in a shorter time as well while contributing towards a better quality of life for our patients," said Dr Kunalan.
He shared that the estimated cost of surgeries and procedures involving robotic assistance at KLGH ranges from RM2,400 to RM7,500 for a knee implant, as an example.
For now, the robotic assistance hardware and software known as Rossa Knee, which costs about RM3 million per unit, is on loan at KLGH.
In Malaysia, for the time being, the government hospitals that provide primary and complex hip revision and
knee
procedures are KLGH, Sarawak General Hospital (Hospital Umum Sarawak), and Sultanah Bahiyah Hospital in Alor Star, Kedah.