A medical milestone is being celebrated at Nuffield Health Bournemouth Hospital after it became the first UK hospital to perform 500 Mako robotic-arm assisted hip replacement surgeries.

Professor Robert Middleton, pictured left, Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon, and his team have been using the Mako robot to perform hip replacements since 2017.

The hospital, based on Lansdowne Road, was one of the first ten hospitals in the UK to offer surgery using the technology.

Both patients and surgeons have been benefiting from the pioneering technology ever since.

The state-of-the-art Stryker Mako robotic-arm assisted technology provides more accurate surgery, but the robot remains under the control of the surgeon throughout the operation.

The pioneering surgery enables a more personalised surgical plan for joint replacements.

Before the procedure, a 3D model is created based on the patient’s own CT scan, enabling the exact size and placement of the hip implant to be planned with computers.

Mathieu Badard, Vice-President General Manager of Joint Replacement Stryker Europe, said: “Congratulations to Professor Middleton on reaching the phenomenal milestone of 500 Mako total hip procedures.

“This impressive total places him as one of the highest volume robotic total hip replacement surgeons across Europe.”

Professor Middleton, pictured with his team, said: “This is a great milestone, showing that robotic-assisted surgery is taking orthopaedics to the next level in terms of accuracy and this should lead to better outcomes.

“Our research is studying whether greater accuracy leads to a faster recovery and better overall results.

“The precision we are able to achieve with the Mako is the biggest step forward I have seen in my career.”

David McNair, Hospital Director at Nuffield Health Bournemouth Hospital, said: “To reach a landmark 500 operations using the pioneering Mako technology is a wonderful achievement for Nuffield Health Bournemouth Hospital.

“We’re pleased to see how many patients have benefited from the precision that the Mako robot provides.

“Having the ability to use the Mako technology helps us to raise the bar in terms of the services the hospital can offer.”

Nuffield Health Bournemouth Hospital is currently working with Bournemouth University on the world’s first research programme dedicated to measuring the success rates of hip replacements, performed by pioneering robotic-arm assisted surgery.

The partnership, headed by Professor Middleton, is the result of a £200,000 grant awarded to Bournemouth University by Stryker.