A robot surgeon from Chelyabinsk performed a knee operation.

A total knee replacement surgery was performed at Regional Clinical Hospital No. 3 – the clinic became the first in the Ural, which has mastered robotic technology. The uniqueness of this method lies in the robot's absolute precision, say the developers: it resects bone strictly along a predetermined digital trajectory.

"It's completely autonomous. A person doesn't participate in the bone-cutting process—they only observe and can stop it. Medical error is 100% excluded," explained the Sechenov University professor. Andrey Gritsyuk, who came to Chelyabinsk specifically for this operation.

The method involves creating a customized 3D model of the patient's joint using a CT scan. Using a specialized program, doctors select and position the prosthesis perfectly. The plan is then loaded into the system, the knee is aligned with the marks, and the robot performs precision bone resection.

Although robotic surgery takes 20 minutes longer than traditional surgery, the recovery period is almost halved. Patients experience less pain, and the risk of complications is minimized.

The first patient of Chelyabinsk surgeons was able to stand on her feet with the help of crutches on the day of surgery, and will be going home just three days later.

Photo: Ministry of Health of the Chelyabinsk Region — VK