Precision Meets Experience: Blending Human Judgment with Robotic Precision in Surgery
In the ever-evolving field of orthopedic surgery, robotic systems have emerged as powerful tools that complement a surgeon's expertise. Dr. Charles Claps, a hip and knee replacement surgeon at Resurgens Orthopaedics and consultant for the world's largest robotic system in joint replacement, sheds light on how robotics integrate with surgical decision-making.
Customized Surgical Planning
Robotic systems provide surgeons with unprecedented access to detailed patient information before and during surgery. Dr. Claps explains, "Robotics gives me the tools to know more information about a patient's anatomy, but also during the procedure, really customize the surgery to their exact problem and pathology.
"For knee replacements, robotic assistance allows surgeons to tension the ligaments around the knee with precision. "I actually have real numbers that tell me where the knee is tight, where the knee is loose," Dr. Claps notes. This level of detail enables surgeons to customize the implant placement for each patient's unique anatomy.
Enhanced Preoperative Planning
With imaging-based robotic platforms, surgeons can create a detailed 3D surgical plan before the patient even enters the operating room. Dr. Claps highlights, "We're able to size the implants and actually plan exactly where we want to put those implants before we've ever even brought the patient back to the operating room."
This advanced planning capability is especially beneficial for hip replacements, where precise implant positioning is crucial for optimal outcomes.
Real-Time Adaptability
Building upon the crucial foundation of preoperative planning, robotic systems offer the additional advantage of real-time adaptability during the procedure itself. Dr. Claps emphasizes that the surgical plan is always modified based on what is found during the operation. "That robotic system allows us to do that in real time during each surgery," he explains.
This real-time adaptability combines the surgeon's expertise with the precision of robotic technology. The surgeon remains in control, making critical decisions based on years of training and experience, while the robotic system helps implement these decisions with unparalleled accuracy.
Improved Accuracy and Consistency
The robotic arm used during surgery acts as a guide, helping the surgeon place implants exactly as planned. Dr. Claps notes, "It helps to guide me to put the implants in exactly as we planned for that pre-surgical plan that we built for each patient."
This enhanced accuracy leads to more consistent outcomes across patients, potentially reducing the number of outlier cases where patients are not fully satisfied with their surgery results.
Shaping the Future of Robotic Surgery
As a consultant for the company that has developed the world's most widely used robotic system for joint replacement, Dr. Claps is at the forefront of this technological revolution. He travels regularly, teaching other surgeons how to integrate robotic systems into their practice.
"I get to see what's new and what's coming in the forefront in terms of how we're going to make this system even better," Dr. Claps shares. "We're even starting to utilize it for revision procedures and helping to design things to make surgery more efficient for the surgeon, to allow the procedures to move smoother, and also for the physician to have less stress during the surgery."
His role as an educator extends beyond formal teaching engagements. "I love being able to share that with surgeons who want to learn how to do leverage robotic technology," he says. "In addition to traveling to teach labs and seminars, surgeons also fly to see me operate and I share best practices that I've learned over time."
When asked where he thinks robotics could go in future, Dr. Claps sees a future where data will be used to further refine surgical techniques: "I think we're going to start using all the data that we are obtaining during each one of these cases to better understand why there are some patients who are not 100% happy with their surgery."
A New Era of Personalized Care
By combining the irreplaceable expertise of skilled surgeons with the precision and data-driven insights of robotic technology, we're entering a new era of personalized, highly accurate surgical procedures. As Dr. Claps and other leaders in the field continue to push the boundaries of what's possible, patients can look forward to even better outcomes and faster recoveries in the years to come. If you're considering hip or knee replacement surgery and want to learn more about how robotic-assisted procedures could benefit you, you can schedule an appointment online with Dr. Claps or call the Fayetteville or Newnan office.