Background:The response to COVID-19 catalyzed the adoption and integration of digital health tools into the health care delivery model for musculoskeletal patients. The change, suspension, or relaxation of Medicare and federal guidelines enabled the rapid implementation of these technologies. The expansion of payment models for virtual care facilitated its rapid adoption. The authors aim to provide several examples of digital health solutions utilized to manage orthopedic patients during the pandemic and discuss what features of these technologies are likely to continue to provide value to patients and clinicians following its resolution.
Conclusion:The widespread adoption of new technologies enabling providers to care for patients remotely has the potential to permanently change the expectations of all stakeholders about the way care is provided in orthopedics. The new era of Digital Orthopaedics will see a gradual and nondisruptive integration of technologies that support the patient's journey through the successful management of their musculoskeletal disease.
Purpose of the Review The utilization of technology has increased over the last decade across all surgical specialties. Roboticassisted surgery, among the most advanced surgical technology, applied to hip and knee arthroplasty has experienced rapid growth in utilization, surgical applications, and robotic platforms. The goal of this study is to provide a comprehensive review of the most commonly utilized robotic platforms for hip and knee arthroplasty and the most up to date literature on the benefits and limitations of robotic arthroplasty. Recent Findings Studies consistently demonstrate that that robotic-assisted surgery during total hip arthroplasty (THA), total knee arthroplasty (TKA), and unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (UKA) improves component position and alignment. There is also growing evidence that robotic-assisted UKA improves clinical outcomes and implant survivorship and, therefore, may be cost-effective. However, there remains to be convincing evidence that robotic-assisted arthroplasty improves clinical outcome measures or reduces revision rates for THA and TKA. Potential disadvantages of robotic arthroplasty remain, including a learning curve, potential for additional radiation exposure preoperatively, and the financial costs. Summary Robotic hip and knee arthroplasty remains attactive as studies show that it consistently improves implant position and alignment over conventional techniques. There is growing evidence that robotic UKA may improve patient outcomes and reduce revision rates, but further study is needed. In addition, further and longer-term studies are needed to determine if improved component position and alignment in TKA and THA leads to improved clinical outcomes and reduced revision rates. Keywords Total hip replacement . Total knee replacement . Unicompartmental knee replacement . Robotics . Clinical outcomes . Implant alignment This article is part of the Topical Collection on The Use of Technology in Orthopaedic Surgery-Intraoperative and Post-Operative Management
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