First robotic knee revision in Central Texas
After Jacquelyn twisted her knee, she traveled to St. David's Round Rock Medical Center, where Dr. Saldanha discovered she had broken her knee cap.
72-year-old Jacquelyn Jones was walking through a Gatesville grocery store parking lot when she suddenly twisted her knee. Judging from the pain she was feeling, she knew something was very wrong. Her hometown physician told her she tore her meniscus and would need to have knee surgery.
After Jacquelyn underwent surgery in June of 2021, she continued to feel discomfort and instability whenever she walked. She found it difficult to do things she enjoyed, such as gardening or spending time with her great grandchildren. After months of enduring daily pain, Jacquelyn decided to visit St. David’s Round Rock Medical Center, where she met orthopedic surgeon Dr. Vilas Saldanha. Dr. Saldanha told Jacquelyn that not only had she overstretched the ligaments in her knee, she had a patella avulsion fracture, or a broken knee cap.
Given Jacquelyn’s age and the fact that her other surgery didn’t fix the issue, Dr. Saldanha determined a knee revision surgery using robotic technology was the best solution to rid her of pain and discomfort once and for all.
On Jan. 12, 2023, Dr. Saldanha performed the first knee revision in Central Texas using robotic technology called the Mako Robotic system. The procedure was minimally invasive, and Jacquelyn only needed a few weeks of recovery before she was back to enjoying her life. Now, Jacquelyn is gardening again, and she is even able to keep up with her great-grandchildren.