Robotic knee surgery, which may involve total knee arthroplasty (TKA) or unicompartmental (partial) knee arthroplasty (UKA), enhances the accuracy of implant placement. The duration involves distinguishing between the time the surgeon is actively working and the total time spent in the operating suite. While the actual hands-on surgical phase is often comparable to traditional methods, the entire process, including preparation and robotic setup, typically ranges from 90 minutes to over three hours. This variation is influenced by the precision-focused steps required by the technology and the patient’s anatomy.
The Surgical Procedure’s Duration
The actual surgical time, from the first incision to the final skin closure, is when the damaged bone and cartilage are removed and the new joint components are inserted. For a robotic-assisted total knee replacement, this stage usually lasts between 60 and 90 minutes. The focus is on bone preparation and implant placement, with the robotic arm guiding the surgeon to execute the plan developed from a pre-operative CT scan or intra-operative mapping.
Robotic assistance increases the accuracy of bone cuts and implant alignment, streamlining the intra-operative process. Enhanced precision helps minimize the need for manual adjustments or soft tissue balancing once the implants are trialed. Although the robotic technique can take slightly longer than conventional surgery during a surgeon’s learning phase, the precise bone work can ultimately make the core surgical step time-neutral or even faster.
Total Time in the Operating Room
The total duration a patient spends in the operating room includes the necessary stages of preparation and recovery transfer. Before the first incision, the surgical team administers anesthesia (general or spinal) and positions the patient comfortably on the operating table; this typically adds 30 to 60 minutes to the overall timeline. Once the patient is ready, the robotic system requires setup and calibration.
This involves attaching small tracking arrays to the bone and performing a process called registration, where the surgeon matches the patient’s actual knee anatomy to the pre-operative 3D plan displayed on the computer screen. This registration and mapping phase often takes an additional 15 to 30 minutes, contributing to the overall operating room time.
Following the surgical procedure, another 30 minutes is generally needed for wound closure, applying sterile dressings, and transferring the patient to the post-anesthesia care unit for monitoring. The cumulative time for the entire operating room experience, from entry to exit, is commonly between 90 minutes and 3.5 hours.
Variables Affecting the Timeline
The duration of robotic knee surgery is influenced by several variables that either speed up or slow down the process. One significant factor is the surgeon’s and the surgical team’s experience with the specific robotic platform being used. Surgeons early in their learning curve often experience longer operative times, which typically shorten after performing a certain number of cases.
The type of knee replacement being performed also affects the timeline; a total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is generally more involved and takes longer than a partial knee replacement (UKA). Patient-specific factors, such as severe pre-existing deformities, significant bone loss, or a high body mass index (BMI), can increase the time required for accurate robotic registration and planning. The specific robotic system utilized—such as Mako or ROSA—can also influence the setup time, as different platforms have varying hardware and software requirements for calibration.