What if joint replacement surgery could do more for surgeons and their patients? Learn how Mako SmartRobotics™ is helping surgeons know more, see more and do more than ever before. 

Achieving better outcomes for patients often begins by asking, “What if?” What if we could make healthcare smarter? What if we could be more precise? What if every procedure was as unique as the patient receiving it? With the advancement of robotic-arm assisted surgery, we’re not just finding the answers. We’re creating them.

Mako SmartRobotics™ is revolutionizing the way doctors perform total hip, total knee and partial knee replacements.

Don Payerle, President, Joint Replacement at Stryker, elaborated: ”We couldn’t be more thrilled to hit the milestone of 500,000 Mako procedures and helping that many patients get back to what they love doing.” 

One of those procedures was performed on Robert Malitz, who found himself in pain after years of raising kids, hiking and playing tennis. A visit to an orthopaedic specialist confirmed that Robert had arthritis in his knee and that he was a candidate for total knee replacement. After discussing the benefits and risks of surgery with his doctor, Robert decided to undergo a Mako Total Knee replacement. 

The power of SmartRobotics^TM.

Total knee replacements in the United States are expected to increase 673% by 2030,¹ yet studies have shown that approximately 30% of patients are dissatisfied after conventional surgery.² Similarly, 22% of conventional total hip patients have rated their satisfaction for their total hip procedure as 3 or less out of 5 (n=14,500).^3,4 This is where Mako SmartRobotics™ can help make a difference.

The information Mako’s CT-based planning provides helps a surgeon know more about their patient and the procedure—meaning they know more with Mako. 

Specifically, the CT scan allows a surgeon to see a patient’s individual anatomy, including osteophytes, cysts and bone defects. This knowledge of the patient’s anatomy can give surgeons more confidence to perform difficult cases, enabling them to achieve functional implant positioning through executing their plan with precision and accuracy.^8,9,10

Mako’s AccuStop™ haptic technology incorporates the information from a patient’s personalized CT-based plan and enables surgeons to cut less, by cutting precisely what they’ve planned.^11,12,13,14 This has demonstrated less soft tissue damage in Mako Total Knee surgeries^12,13 and greater bone preservation in Mako Total Knee, Total Hip, and Partial Knee surgeries.^11,12,13,14 

Robert Cohen, President, Digital, Robotics, and Enabling Technologies, commented on the Mako difference for each of the three applications: “A recent study comparing Mako Total Knee Surgery using Stryker’s implants with manual surgery and manual instruments concluded that patients performed better [and] had improved outcomes, like less pain, less opioid use, shorter length of stay in the hospital, and less physical therapy sessions.⁶ And, in a minimum 5-year outcomes propensity score matched study, Mako Total Hip showed more favorable outcomes and more accurate placement in the safe zone,¹⁵ while Mako Partial Knee demonstrated 98% survivorship at 10-year follow-up.”¹⁶ 

It’s amazing to see what Mako is doing. But innovation can always be pushed further, which is why we’ll never stop asking “What if?”