Sarasota Memorial Hospital (SMH) welcomed a new member to its orthopedic surgery team today:  ROSA the knee robot. ROSA, which stands for Robotic Surgical Assistant, adds another layer of technical expertise to the health system’s growing robotics program. With ROSA by their side, SMH’s leading orthopedic surgeons Edward Stolarski, MD, and Sean Dingle, MD, performed two robotic total knee-replacement cases and were working on a third in separate procedures today. The patients – a 66-year-old North Port man, 72-year-old Englewood man and 73-year-old Venice woman – all came to SMH with debilitating pain from degenerative knee disease. Using ROSA’s computerized algorithm, the patients received a new, precisely formulated and placed joint designed to promote natural joint movement and eliminate their grinding bone-on-bone pain. Drs. Stolarski and Dingle used ROSA’s specialized 3D imaging software to create a custom surgical plan based on their patients’ unique anatomies and conduct virtual knee replacements ahead of the surgeries. The computerized platform provides real-time intraoperative data to help surgeons assess the bones and soft tissues of the knee during the procedure, and with guidance from ROSA, precisely cut and position the new knee for optimal performance, flexibility and longevity. 

Photo courtesy of Sarasota Memorial Health Care System