Hospitals in the Thau basin are equipped with a robot for orthopedic surgery, “an additional leap forward”

Rosa. This is the name of the latest arrival in the orthopedic department of the Thau Basin Hospitals (HBT). Since the beginning of November, an assistance robot, called Rosa knee, has been assisting surgeons with their knee prosthesis operations. A system that combines precise data and a robotic arm with the skills of the practitioner to enable the most precise positioning of the prosthesis possible. “Thanks to it, we can plan the slightest gesture: from the rotation of the implant to the cuts we are going to make”greets Doctor Emilien Michel.

“Better installation quality”

The latter is one of five practitioners in the HBT orthopedic surgery department. For him, this robot is “a further leap forward”. For more than ten years, he and his colleagues had already relied on a digital surgical navigation tool. “But this is a 2.0 version which offers better installation quality”adds Doctor Michel. The robot is made up of two elements: a robotic arm to guide bone cuts and a computer. It has sensors to reproduce the anatomy of the operated knee. The information collected allows precise placement of the implant “to the nearest degree and millimeter”, and help in decision-making during the operation, with the surgeon remaining in control.

This precision has several benefits, including a reduction in blood loss but above all better postoperative convalescence and a reduction in pain. “The robot makes it possible to avoid problems of laxity in particular by balancing the ligaments as best as possible”, indicates Dr Emilien Michel. Rosa knee responds to a growing demand for total knee replacement for people mainly suffering from knee osteoarthritis. Interventions increased by 17% between 2019 and 2024 at the Thau Bassin Hospitals.“This currently represents 200 to 250 knee prosthesis fittings over a year”

says the practitioner.

Assistance for other surgeries The robot will eventually be able to provide assistance with other surgeries performed by the service, namely the installation of hip and shoulder prostheses or ligament reconstructions. Enough to perfect orthopedic surgery for which“the scientific literature still indicates too high a rate of dissatisfaction. We must question the way of working, so that it is less ‘artisanal'”^{says the surgeon. The Hospitals of the Thau basin are on the 19th} e^{French establishment to equip itself with this technology and the 4} e