A new robot at the Wynn Hospital in Utica is helping with hip and knee replacement.

“Robotic surgery in general has been ongoing for the last 10 or 15 years but has really picked up in the last five years I would say,” said Dr. Prashant Deshmane, an orthopedic surgeon with MVHS Orthopedic Group.

He says robotics is another tool to help them with their patients when it comes to precision.

“Having a robotic platform allows us to plan the surgery and also execute the surgery in the way we want it to happen for that particular patient,” said Deshmane.

The Mako SmartRobotics system allows them to perform less invasive surgeries like hip and knee replacements with more accuracy, as it creates a 3D CT scan that helps surgeons create personalized surgical plans based on the patient’s anatomy.

“Without the help of the robotic surgery we get it as close to as possible where we think but with the human eye there is always that limit of error and judgment,” said Deshmane.

Deshmane says the robot is like having another person with him.

“But the way to look it almost is like a car having a-navigation," Deshmane said. "A-navigation helps you get to a point as precisely as possible in the best possible course of action or driving. Similarly, a robotic platform allows a surgeon to execute a preoperative plan for that patient’s anatomy and having almost like a navigating guide or an arm which is helping that precision moment."

Along with MVHS, St. Peter’s Hospital, Crouse, Upstate Medical University and Saratoga Hospital use robotic surgery.