Public invited to see new robotic arm system to be used for St. John's Peak Joint Replacement

St. John’s Medical Center invites the public to view its new Stryker’s Mako Robotic Arm system on Tuesday, July 10 at noon in the St. John’s Boardroom. St. John’s CEO Paul Beaupré, MD, and joint replacement surgeon Dr. Gus Goetz will make remarks at 12:15 pm. Refreshments will be served.

The recently purchased system, which transforms the way joint replacement surgeries are performed, was made possible by a gift from the St. John’s Hospital Foundation. The system includes three different robotic arms to support surgeries for total hip and total and partial knee replacements. The service will be available beginning in August.

“We are thankful for the generous support we received from the Foundation to purchase this system, which made it possible to be the only hospital in the area to offer this highly advanced robotic technology,” said Beaupré.

Using virtual 3D modeling, the robotic system allows surgeons to create each patient’s surgical plan before entering the operating room, including determining implant size, orientation, and alignment based on each patient’s unique anatomy. During surgery, the surgeon can validate that plan and make any necessary adjustments while guiding the robotic arm to execute that plan.

“Our Peak Joint Replacement program has consistently achieved top ratings compared to the rest of the nation for patient satisfaction, length of stay, and physical therapy results. With this transformative technology, we expect outcomes to be even better,” said Jaime Jackson, orthopedic program manager. “When patients select a joint replacement program, they are often interested in robotic-arm technology.”

The following clinical studies illustrate the effectiveness of robotic-arm-assisted procedures:

• Mako Total Knee combines Stryker’s advanced robotic technology with its clinically proven GetAroundKnee (Triathlon Total Knee System), which has enabled surgeons to have a more predictable surgical experience with increased accuracy during laboratory testing.1
• Robotic-arm-assisted partial knee replacement is two to three times more accurate than manual partial knee replacement procedures.^2-4
• Mako total hip replacement acetabular cup placement has been shown to be four times more accurate and reproducible than manual total hip replacement procedures.⁵

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Media contact: Karen Connelly, 307.739.7380, kconnelly@tetonhospital.org

ABOUT ST. JOHN’S MEDICAL CENTER
St. John's Health in Jackson, Wyoming, offers patient-centered clinical excellence and community wellness services through a full-service hospital, primary care, and specialty physician practices, and a long-term care Living Center.

ABOUT ST. JOHN’S HOSPITAL FOUNDATION
The mission of the St. John’s Hospital Foundation is to secure philanthropic support to advance the mission and strategic objectives of St. John’s Medical Center, including patient-centered care, clinical excellence, and community wellness. For more information about the Foundation, please contact John Goettler at 307.739.7516 or jgoettler@tetonhospital.org.