Chennai: Doctors at city-based SIMS hospitals used a special software on their mobiles to perfect the surgical outcomes of total hip replacement surgery for a 62-year-old United Kingdom national, who came with excruciating pain caused by osteoarthritis.
Doctors in the UK told Michael Mckenna, a builder, that he would require a total hip replacement, but the surgery would adversely hit his mobility and make it difficult for him to continue his job. When he approached doctors at SIMS Hospitals, he was advised to undergo a “high-performance” hip replacement surgery.
“Robotic surgeries, which offer better precision, are expensive. Our hospital developed a software called DiCAST (Digital inclinometer-Co Axial Stitch Techniq), which could be customized to meet the requirements of the patient and the surgeon. This software helps the doctor place the implant in the right position reducing all margins of error. Outcomes of these surgeries are on par with that of robotic hip replacement surgery,” said senior orthopeadic surgeon Dr. Vijay C Bose. Nevertheless, the software does not increase the cost of the surgery, he said.
On Friday, a fortnight after the surgery, Mckenna walked into the meeting room on crutches. “I feel very well. I no longer have pain. I will go home on Wednesday,” he told reporters. TNN