The Fourth International Symposium on Robotic Joint Replacement (ISRJR 4.0) that was held in Pune recently featured the first live demonstration of TUKSplasty, which is Shalby Group of Hospitals’ new innovation in knee replacement. This symposium was hosted by Lokmanya Group of Hospitals, where world-renowned joint replacement surgeon and Shalby’s Chairman & Managing Director Dr Vikram Shah was invited as guest of honour. Dr Shah has performed more 1,25,000 joint replacement surgeries, which is highest in the world, and under his leadership Shalby has performed around 1,50,000 joint replacement surgeries in last 29 years, which is again highest in the world.
Dr Narendra Vaidya, MD, Lokmanya Group of Hospitals and internationally acclaimed joint replacement surgeon performed the first live TUKSplasty, which is a partial knee replacement surgery using TUKS (Tahoe Unicondylar Knee System) knee joint implant. Dr Vaidya performed this surgery using robotic assisted technology at this symposium in which over 350 joint replacement surgeons participated.
Shalby Hospitals has launched TUKSplasty, a type of partial knee replacement which uses Vitamin E Poly implant. Vitamin E poly helps in reducing the abrasion wear rate by 78% as compared to normal poly inserts. This revolutionary knee replacement procedure has distinct advantages over the traditional partial knee replacement, which is known by various terms like unicompartmental knee replacement, unicondylar knee replacement and microplasty. Vitamin E Poly significantly increases longevity of the joint implant with a very low wear rate. TUKSplasty is the ideal procedure when only one part of the knee is damaged and needs to be replaced. Most common reason for this damage is knee osteoarthritis (arthritis of the knee joint). It is noteworthy that TUKSplasty preserves the undamaged bone.
For the surgeons, special advantages of this surgery are concise and simplified instrumentation. Besides, TUKS implant is designed with a fixed-bearing round-on-flat articulation providing wider flexibility to the surgeons on using any size femoral component with any sized tibial component & insert which allows 23 possible size combinations. The round on flat design provides a higher range of motion. Its keel and peg fixation in femur and tibia ensures secured fixation.
Dr Vikram Shah, World-renowned Joint Replacement Surgeon and Chairman & Managing Director of Shalby says, “TUKSplasty uses Tahoe Unicondylar Knee System implant, which was developed at our implant manufacturing plant in USA after elaborate research and development efforts. TUKS implants are manufactured at Shalby’s manufacturing plant located in California. Well-known US Joint Replacement Surgeon Dr Richard Reitman collaborated with implant developers to develop this unique joint implant system. It has many added advantages like much smaller incision, shorter hospital stay, minimal bone removal, preservation of cartilage and ligaments in healthy parts of the knee, minimal blood loss, quicker rehabilitation, minimal risk of infection and blood clots and minimal post-surgical recovery time & return to an active lifestyle within weeks of the procedure.”
“At Shalby we have been performing unicondylar knee replacement for close to 25 years. We have used the experience, knowledge and insights we have gained through years when designing TUKS implant used for TUKSplasty, which can be used for unicondylar knee replacement of all types of cases for patients across the world. Our TUKS is a complete, versatile uni-compartmental knee platform offering the surgeon a high level of flexibility through a wide range of sizing and advanced instrumentation. Since this type of surgery needs special skill different than performing total knee replacement surgery, Shalby Hospitals is also training surgeons from other hospitals for this. Our aim is to make this surgery accessible to maximum people and for this training surgeons in TUKSplasty is very important.”, adds Dr Shah. Currently, TUKSplasty is being performed at Shalby’s hospitals as well as many other hospitals spread across India.
Dr Narendra Vaidya, the organising chair of the symposium where first live TUKSplasty was performed, emphasised the integral role of technology in the medical realm. With advanced and sophisticated technological equipment and systems, surgical procedures now benefit from enhanced precision and accuracy. Dr Vikram Shah, a guest of honour at the symposium, showcased the remarkable evolution of technology in the medical and surgical fields. Having performed over 1,25,000 joint replacements, Dr Shah highlighted the current norms and standards that have revolutionised the approach to complex cases. Internationally acclaimed orthopaedic surgeon Dr Sharan Patil emphasised the tight intertwining of technology and medicine.
