STATE-OF-THE-ART surgeon guided robots will have their surgical skills put to the test as researcher’s trial their use in hip and knee replacement surgery for the first time in Wales in Hywel Dda this month.

Delivered jointly between Warwick Medical School at the University of Warwick, University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire (UHCW) NHS Trust, and the Royal Orthopaedic Hospital (ROH) in Birmingham, the robotic trial will be tested at Hywel Dda University Health Board from early 2023.

The aim of the trial is to determine whether using robots results in better outcomes for the joint replacement patients.

In robotic assisted hip and knee replacement surgery, a robotic arm helps preparing the bone and inserting the components to a pre-programmed three-dimensional plan.

Using a robot to perform the surgery is thought to enable more precise, consistent surgical techniques.

Professor Peter Cnudde, Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon, said: “Robot-assisted surgery is used with great success in many procedures and can bring numerous advantages when compared to standard surgery.

“It is a big achievement for the team to be at the forefront of a world-leading multi-centre study like this, and we’re really pleased to be able to get the clinical trial started.

“Adding robot-assisted surgery to the surgical provision available at Hywel Dda UHB will, I believe, be of real benefit to our patients.”