Orthopedic Technology at Jewish Hospital
Computer-assisted orthopedic surgery
The Jewish Hospital was the first hospital in the world to open an operating suite dedicated specifically to computer-assisted orthopedic surgery. The $1.5 million operating suite is primarily used for total knee and total hip replacement surgeries. The suite also serves as an international teaching center for surgeons from around the world.
The computer-assisted orthopedic operating suite includes guidance systems with tracking devices and cameras that feed data about the patient into a computer. The computer then creates a 3-D model on the screen of the patient’s bones during the surgery, and provides the surgeon with information about the correct position of the new joints. The surgeon remains in control, but he or she uses the computer’s assistance to obtain the best position of the new joints.
The benefits to patients who undergo computer-assisted orthopedic surgery may include: better fit for the new hip or knee joint, less pain, smaller incisions, fewer blood transfusions and faster healing. The benefits to the surgeon may include: better operative vision and enhanced view, immediate feedback regarding the alignment of the new joint, and more surgical precision.
Dozens of surgeons have received training at Jewish, including visitors from Germany, Japan and Israel.
Funding for the operating suite came from the Health Alliance and through generous donations by The Jewish Foundation of Cincinnati.
The Jewish Hospital performs more computer-assisted total joint replacement surgeries than any other hospital in the world. In 2001, Jewish became the first hospital in the United States to perform a knee replacement using computer-assisted surgery.
In addition to the computer assisted surgery operating room, surgeons at Jewish Hospital may also use image-guided technology in our other operating suites.
