Homer, Alaska-based South Peninsula Hospital has added Stryker's Mako robotic system for total knee replacements, according to a Nov. 21 report from radio station KBBI.
The addition is expected to expand access for patients living on the Kenai Peninsula.
The hospital purchased the robot via capital lease and will own it in seven years. The total cost of the seven-year lease is more than $900,000.
The population on the state's southern peninsula ranges older than the state's population as a whole, with 40% of southern peninsula residents being older than 55. Statewide, about 26% of residents are older than 55.
Over the last year, the region also saw a decrease in patients getting knee replacements done locally, with more people leaving the area to go to hospitals with robotic capabilities.
So far hospital staff, led by orthopedic surgeon Brent Adcox, MD, has performed two procedures using the Mako robot.