Michigan Knee Institute is home to an orthopedic surgeon who is one of the first in the world to use a new robotic tool that provides more accuracy for the surgeon and superior outcomes for patients.
Dr. Jeffrey DeClaire, orthopedic knee surgeon and founder of the Michigan Knee Institute, created the groundbreaking Elite Knee procedure that combines computer-generated imaging with robotic instrumentation and over 30 years of surgical expertise to provide a superior outcome for knee replacement patients.
Using robotic technology and a ligament tensioning device to measure a patient’s ligament balance, Dr. DeClaire can determine the best implant position leading to a well-balanced knee replacement; Dr. DeClaire was the first in the world to use the OmniBOTICS system for robotic-assisted surgery.
The tensioning device, called a BalanceBot™, gives the surgeon a “second pair of eyes” to accurately measure the knee ligament tension for each patient. Studies show that patients who had this customized approach for knee replacement had more normal knee function and better outcomes two years post-surgery than patients who had undergone traditional surgery.
Clinical trials with BalanceBot on more than 1,200 patients show satisfaction of almost 98 percent, compared to 75 to 80 percent with a traditional knee replacement.
Gretchen Lapham, a Grand Rapids resident who had robotic-assisted knee replacement surgery from Dr. DeClaire, is a wonderful example of how well the Elite Knee Procedure works. Lapham is an active person, but her right knee was achy and painful when she walked as well as popping in and out of the socket. However, immediately after the surgery, she was already starting to feel the results. Just over three weeks post-surgery, she was walking, doing water aerobics, and even going on vacation with her family taking part in swimming in caves and taking extremely long hikes.