The evolution of robotic arm-assisted arthroplasty in Greece

Background. The robotic arm-assisted (Mako) arthroplasty was introduced in Greece in January 2014, through the years of financial crisis. The purpose of this study is to demonstrate its evolution per procedure throughout the years. Materials and methods. Data regarding type of procedure: partial knee arthroplasty (PKA), total knee arthroplasty (TKA) and total hip arthroplasty (THA) were collected from the official distributor of the Mako platform in Greece. The number of Mako arthroplasties were calculated annually and monthly per procedure type from January 2014 to December 2018. Results. A total of 1081 robotic arm-assisted arthroplasties have been performed in Greece in two private hospitals. Mako cases showed overall 163.06% increase, while THA showed 235.1% increase, during the study period. On the other hand PKA showed 61% decrease, while in during one year (2017-2018) TKA showed 402% increase. Conclusions. Introducing robots into the orthopedic operating theater may improve precision, could lead to lower complication rates and finally may offer higher patient satisfaction scores. However, the total growth of robotic arm-assisted arthroplasties in Greece should be interpreted with caution, since all surgeries were performed in private institutions and, therefore, the economic burden of these procedures may have been withstood by specific social class patients.