AI surgical robot proactively replaces a patient’s knee joint

“This is the first joint replacement using the new generation Cuvis-Joint robot after this robot was licensed for application at Tam Anh Hospital,” Dang Khoa, M.D., Head of the Department of General Orthopedics, said.

Ms. Ngot has had osteoarthritis for 20 years. Doctors at Tam Anh General Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City recorded that she had grade 4 knee osteoarthritis in both legs – the most serious stage, the joint cartilage is almost gone, the two ends of the bones collide with each other when moving, causing knee joint deformity and a crooked limb axis of more than 10 degrees.

She was prescribed a right knee replacement first with the assistance of an AI robot. Doctors use specialized software J-Planner of the Cuvis-Joint robot to accurately identify and analyze bone morphology, create images, and recreate anatomical landmarks based on 3D CT images of the patient. The robot helps the doctor plan Ms. Ngot’s surgery in three-dimensional space, determine the bone cutting location, bone cutting direction, limb axis, joint location, determine the appropriate surgical technique and type of artificial joint.

During the surgery, Dr. Le Van Tuan, Director of the Center for Orthopedics and Trauma, created a “GPS map” for the robot to accurately locate important points on the patient’s real bone surface, calculating the actual tension of the ligaments, surrounding soft tissues, etc., ensuring it matches the established 3D surgical model. After agreeing on all parameters, Dr. Tuan ordered the robot to perform bone cutting according to plan and then install the artificial joint.

The surgery helps to maximize the preservation of healthy bone structure and limit soft tissue damage. On the first day after surgery, Ms. Ngot could straighten her legs, had significant pain relief, ate and slept better, and could get out of bed and do personal activities. After each physical therapy session, the patient’s ability to walk improves significantly. Ms. Ngot wishes to have her other leg replaced as soon as possible.

The Cuvis-Joint active surgical robot system was approved by Korea in 2020 and has performed 35,000 surgeries around the world, with no serious complications recorded. Tam Anh General Hospital is the first hospital in Vietnam to deploy the new generation Cuvis-Joint robot, having performed more than 20 joint replacement surgeries with this robot in 10 days.

According to Dr. Hoc, with the support of Cuvis-Joint, knee replacement surgery is more accurate, optimizing results in even difficult cases such as severely obese patients and complex limb deformities. Thanks to that, doctors preserve maximum bone, reduce invasion and increase joint durability, patients have less pain and recover faster.