HRPZ II Conducts First-ever Robotic Knee Surgery In Kelantan

KOTA BHARU, Dec 15 (Bernama) -- Raja Perempuan Zainab Hospital II (HRPZ II) conducted the first-ever knee replacement surgery using a robotic surgical assistant in the state today.

Kelantan health director Datuk Dr Mohd Azman Yacob said the success makes HRPZ II the first hospital in Kelantan and the East Coast to use robotic technology for the procedure, and also the third in the country, behind Kuala Lumpur Hospital and Sultanah Bainun Hospital in Ipoh.

“The use of robotic technology provides an advantage to the patient in terms of higher surgical accuracy, reduced post-surgery pain and a shorter recovery period.

“The first surgery involved a male patient, Mohd Jilani Jaffar, 63, who suffered from knee pain for several years,” he said in a media conference at the hospital here today.

The robotic technology allows a surgeon to plan the procedure in greater detail through real-time three-dimensional images, detection of ligament imbalance as well as determination of bone cutting angle and thickness with high precision.

“The precision can reduce misalignment risks and minimise surgical variation due to operators. Patients have the potential of enduring minimal bleeding and tissue trauma and can move earlier compared to conventional methods,” he said.

Dr Mohd Azman also said the hospital has three trained surgeons to conduct the surgery and has allotted two surgery slots weekly for a total of six patients at affordable costs while the B40 group can receive free treatment through the medical aid fund.

The hospital conducts about 150 joint replacement surgeries a year, including 110 knee surgeries, with 19 cases being bilateral surgeries.

“Last year, 80 knee replacement surgeries were conducted, with 25 of them being bilateral surgeries in a single session, making HRPZ II one of the most active Health Ministry hospitals conducting this procedure in the country,” he added.

-- BERNAMA