Stryker has released total knee replacement data on a Colorado orthopedic surgeon that shows how he is outperforming peers using the Mako robot, The Daily Sentinel reported July 21.
The surgeon excelling in his use of the robot is Kevin Borchard, MD, of Colorado Advanced Orthopedics, Sports Medicine and Spine at Pioneers Medical Center in Meekers.
First-quarter data show that Dr. Borchard is achieving superior patient outcomes and fewer complications compared to benchmark averages in Stryker's database, which comprises more than 600,000 elective knee and hip surgeries and over 40,000 Mako cases from 200-plus U.S. hospitals, according to the report.
Six insights:
1. Over the last three quarters, Dr. Borchard decreased his Mako surgery time by 21 minutes, or 15 percent.
2. Patients' length of stay after bilateral total knee replacement surgery averaged 37 hours in the first quarter, consistently outperforming Stryker's benchmark average, according to the report.
3. One-hundred percent of the surgeon's patients are discharged home after surgery, with no readmissions to the Pioneer Medical Center, which was measured at 30 days and 90 days post-surgery. None of his patients were admitted to the hospital's emergency room within the 90-day postoperative window.
Stryker's benchmarks:
- 30-day readmission average: 1.5 percent
- 90-day readmission average: 2 percent
- Average emergency room admission: 5.3 percent
4. Dr. Borchard also had no orthopedic surgical site infections, which is monitored and documented from 90-days post-surgery.
5. Before discharge and after total knee replacement, in the first quarter, Dr. Borchard's patients rank in the 90th percentile for distance walked on the day of surgery (393 feet on average) and longest distance walked before discharge (579 feet on average).
Stryker's benchmarks:
- Distance walked on the day of surgery: 135 feet
- Longest distance walked before discharge: 277 feet
6. Dr. Borchard's patients also showed an advanced ability to bend the knee joint after total knee replacement, averaging 103 degrees compared to Stryker's benchmark average of 87 degrees, which ranks above Stryker's 75th percentile, according to the report.