Monday, March 7, 2022
by WKRC
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CLERMONT COUNTY, Ohio (WKRC) - As elective procedures ramp back up following the surge in COVID-19 cases due to the omicron variant, surgeons want to give an important warning.
Breakthrough technology is now allowing doctors at OrthoCincy to shorten the operating room time, and even lower surgery risks, especially for joint procedures. The team there cautions against putting off these procedures. “People are delaying just because they want to stay out of the hospital settings,” said Dr. Amelia Wiggins, an orthopedic surgeon at OrthoCincy.
Dr. Wiggins says putting off surgery too long may limit treatment options you could have with outpatient surgery. For example, a patient got a knee joint replaced with what’s called Mako Robotic-Arm Assisted Surgery.
“We use a computer-assisted navigation,” said Dr. Wiggins. A CT scan before surgery allows for 3D reconstruction on a computer. This tells the team where the implants go, how much bone to remove, and once the patient is on the operating table, “We marry them up, make sure it’s accurate, and then we execute the total knee that this patient needs,” said Dr. Wiggins. What makes this process even more remarkable is that the patient can actually go home the same day.
“She will be in recovery for an hour or two, she will get up and start walking with the walker, and she’ll be home,” Dr. Wiggins said. That patient is recovering well. It is important, Dr. Wiggins says, not to continue to put off important care.
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