Golden Valley Memorial Healthcare | Health Scene | Summer 2018

A surgical robot is something you might expect at a big-city hospital, right? Actually, you can find one right here at Golden Valley Memorial Hospital, which recently installed the high-tech Mako system. And if you’re looking to have total or partial knee replacement surgery, this new robot and your surgeon could have you out of your hospital bed and back to enjoying your new knee sooner than in the past. But that’s just the beginning of the benefits of robot-assisted surgery. ROBOTS AREN’T TAKING OVER The Mako system doesn’t actually perform surgery. Orthopedic surgeon James Womack, MD, still does that. With the help of a robotic arm that he guides, Dr. Womack uses tools to remove diseased bone and tissue before installing a new prosthetic joint. “It makes surgery extremely precise,” Dr. Womack says. “We can tailor each knee to each patient to make it aligned perfectly to them.” No two knees are exactly alike. Even the extent of arthritis wear and tear can differ from one knee to the next. So tailoring the surgical cuts (based on a pre-surgery CT scan) helps create a precision fit. Special software is used to plan the surgery. And the robotic arm ensures that Dr. Womack’s cuts stay precisely within those predetermined limits. If he’s off by 1/10th of a millimeter, his saw will shut off. “In the end, you want a knee that is less painful and gives you better motion and better function,” Dr. Womack explains. “The more precise we can make surgery to each individual patient—based on their specific anatomy—the better we can make that knee function for each patient.” Also because the surgery is so precise, less soft tissue is cut. The result may be less pain after surgery and faster healing. Before the Mako system, a typical hospital stay after knee replacement was two to three days. That’s been shortened by about a day. And many people are recovering weeks ahead of schedule. “Their range of motion is coming back more quickly,” Dr. Womack says. Quality care LOCAL PROVIDERS HELP KEEP A COMMUNITY HEALTHY, TOO. “They’re involved with community activities,”Thompson says. “They contribute to community causes.” Although GVMH is proud that many of its providers are employees, it’s equally grateful for the providers who aren’t on staff. “They are just as important,”Thompson emphasizes. “Without them, some of our specialty services simply wouldn’t be available.” BIG-CITY PERFORMANCE At GVMH, the care is personal and easy to access. But it’s also among the very best. For instance, GVMH has a Medicare 4-star rating and ranks No. 1 in Missouri and No. 12 in the nation in the area of safety of care for patients. That flies in the face of rural hospital stereotypes. “The data show that if you’re leaving this area for care, you’re probably doing yourself a disservice,”Thompson says. RECOGNIZING THAT QUALITY Another sign of the quality of care at GVMH? The vast majority of the staff elect to get their care at GVMH.That’s telling,Thompson says. “If our staff doubted our ability to provide safe and high-quality care, they would go somewhere else,” he says. “And they’re in a position to know better than anybody.” To search for a provider and make an appointment, go to gvmh.org and click on “Find a Provider.” THIS IS YOUR HOSPITAL —Continued from front page A perfect fit for a new knee Robot-assisted knee replacement now available at GVMH James Womack, MD Ready to make an appointment? To make an appointment with Dr. Womack, call 660-890-8443 . 2 HEALTH SCENE