David Eggert, MD, completed his 1,000th surgery using Stryker's Mako robot, the Ripon Commonwealth Press reported Nov. 27.
Dr. Eggert, of Appleton, Wis.-based Orthopedic & Sports Institute of the Fox Valley, began performing robot-assisted joint replacements about six years ago. He started after having a robot-assisted hip replacement of his own, the report said.
The Mako robot uses CT scans to create a 3D model of the patient's knee and is designed for increased precision.
"Without the robot, there is more room for error," Dr. Eggert said in the report. "There are people out there who think using a robot to assist in surgery is the easy way out and that it's used by 'bad' surgeons. But I'm of the opposite mindset. I've been an orthopedic surgeon for 30-plus years, and I know that the Mako robot takes great surgeons and makes them even better."