Orthopaedic surgeons have made use of a $1 million robot resident at the Dudley Private Hospital.
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The state-of-the-art machine is designed to help specially trained surgeons with precise placement of knee implants.
Dudley Private Hospital chief executive officer Paul McKenna said the hospital has had the robot since March but it was a tricky time to use it.
"Our first case was on March 25 and halfway through the surgery of that case we heard elective surgeries would be shutting down because of COVID-19," he said.
"We're in full swing now and have completed 18 knee replacement surgeries."
Mr McKenna said surgery times will vary depending on the surgeon.
"Sometimes it can take up to an hour and 20 minutes for the whole surgery, but the actual knee replacement surgery takes about 40 minutes," he said.
"Our five orthopaedic surgeons completed their training in the use of this equipment and for some surgeons they are taking their time on the planning screen because they have more information they can work with."
Orthopaedic surgeon Dr Ben Milne said the ROSA is an enhancement on what surgeons already surgeons already do.
"This robot is a first for Orange and it is a growing technology is becoming more popular in rural areas," he said.
"It also means you don't have to go to Sydney to get this latest technology."
Dr Milne added the biggest difference he has seen in patients is at the six week mark they have a greater range of movement and seem comfortable.
"There is a bit of a learning curve and it takes a while to get used to the workflow with using the ROSA," he said.
"But there are certainly some steps that are much easier than traditional implants or devices to get implants in the right spot."
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