By Connor Bran
Mayo Clinic recently performed its first robot-assisted shoulder arthroplasty in Jacksonville, marking the arrival of enhanced, precision orthopedic care for patients in the Southeast and bolstering Mayo Clinic’s commitment to advancing models of care across the organization.
Shoulder arthroplasties, also known as shoulder replacements, are reserved for patients with shoulder osteoarthritis whose symptoms are not manageable with nonsurgical treatments such as physical therapy, injections and medications. Shoulder replacements have traditionally been performed using manual instrumentation and surgeon-estimated alignment. While this approach has been effective, it is inherently limited by visual estimation and anatomic variability in patients.
“What’s happened over the past ten to fifteen years in orthopedics is we’ve started using computer navigation and now robotic assistance,” says Dr. Erick Marigi, a Mayo Clinic orthopedic surgeon. “In the hip and the knee, they’ve been doing robot-assisted replacements for years, but for the shoulder (because it’s a smaller complex joint), it’s just been harder to develop, until now.”
Erick Marigi, M.D., an orthopedic surgeon at Mayo Clinic in Florida, completed the site’s first robot-assisted shoulder replacement surgery in February.
“We’re no longer limited by our eyes and using a guide, which has a few millimeters of variance,” says Dr. Marigi. “Now it’s one degree of variance and under a millimeter of precision.”
Another key advantage of robot-assisted shoulder replacements is improved consistency and reproducibility, particularly in complex cases. The technology simplifies procedures for patients with significant bone wear or other challenges that make conventional techniques difficult, allowing surgeons to achieve more predictable results.
“It is the spirit of Mayo Clinic in general: constantly pushing the envelope and providing solutions that help patients,” Dr. Marigi says.
Dr. Marigi believes Mayo Clinic surgeons will continue shepherding this next phase of innovation in orthopedic care. Now, for patients in the Southeast, the technology offers access to innovation closer to home.
