Robotic-arm-assisted knee replacement available at PRH

Dr. Akhil Sastry poses with robotic-arm assisted MAKO Total Knee equipment at York Hospital where he formerly worked. (Courtesy photo)

PORTSMOUTH- Portsmouth Regional Hospital unveiled on Friday that they have added robotic-arm assisted MAKO Total Knee Replacement technology.

The moves makes the hospital the first and only hospital in the state to offer the robotic-assisted procedure.

This innovative technique with Akhil Sastry, M.D., of Atlantic Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine brings a new level of precision and quality to knee replacement surgery for the patient. The MAKO plasty approach is designed to relieve pain caused by joint degeneration in the knee - a condition seen in patients with degenerative, rheumatoid and post-traumatic arthritis. The joint replacement surgery is powered by the RIO Robotic-Arm Interactive Orthopedic System, a precise method that offers patients a customized operative plan and more accurate implant placement.

Benefits of the procedure include a less invasive surgery, minimal hospitalization, rapid recovery and less pain for the patient, experts say. "Robotic assisted total knee replacement continues Portsmouth Regional Hospital's commitment to providing innovative and high quality care to the patients of the Seacoast. We are very excited to add this offering to our already broad array of orthopedic options and couldn't be more delighted to have Dr. Sastry spear-heading this technology," said Dean Carucci, CEO of Portsmouth Regional Hospital.

Dr. Sastry has been performing robotic-assisted knee surgery for two years in Maine and now is providing it to Seacoast residents as one of only two surgeons in all of New England who teaches this technology to physicians across the United States.