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November 20, 2024 4 mins

More and more surgical procedures around the world are being carried out by trained robots.

The latest field to benefit from the use of robotic technology is orthopaedic surgery - an area with plenty of room for growth as the population ages.

Milford Asset Management analyst Deborah Lambie explains further.

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Speaker 1 (00:00):
A robotic assisted surgery is on the rise around the world.
We've talked about before about the soft tissue robots and
so on. It's another type of surgery that is benefiting
from the use of robotics is now orthopedic surgery. So
you want to think about your hip replacements here And
Deborah Lamby from mil Fed Asset Management is with us. Now, Hey, Deborah, Hi,
how are you well? Thank you? So why are orthopedic
robots becoming increasingly important in healthcare?

Speaker 2 (00:22):
So orthopedic robots there are particularly useful and joint replacements, and
these are on the rise due to aging populations that
we're seeing around the world. And so in fact, the
number of total new replacement surgeries globally is expected to
grow significantly by around six percent per year over the
next decade. And because of this, innovations that make surgeons
more efficient and also improve patient outcomes are becoming increasingly important.

Speaker 1 (00:45):
And who are the main players here?

Speaker 2 (00:47):
So Orthopedic robots have been around since the early two
thousands and Striker is the first company to bring its
robotic system, which is called Maco, to market, followed by
zim and Biomet a number of years later. In twenty
nineteen with their robot, which is called Rosa, and while
there are some differences between their robots, broadly, before surgery,
they work as tools to assist surgeons with preoperative planning

(01:10):
by creating detailed three dimensional images of the patient's anatomy,
and during surgery they assist with precision by providing real
time feedback and using sensors to guide the surgeons instruments.
And they also assist with precise placement of implants, which
is really important.

Speaker 1 (01:26):
Yeah, I mean this seems like pretty obvious benefits. Are
there other benefits as well of using it?

Speaker 2 (01:30):
Also, studies have actually shown that robotic assisted all the
pedic surgeries often lead to improve patient outcomes, and so
that includes better alignment of the implants. So, for example,
the artificial knee joint is aligned better with the bones
on each side of the artificial joint interestingly reduced post
operative pain for patients because cuts can be smaller and
more precise, and then also patients actually recover faster from them,

(01:53):
so kind of in summary, they make sure that the
implants are positioned with maximum accuracy, which leads to better recovery,
better long lasting results, and pure complications for patients.

Speaker 1 (02:04):
Fascinating how commonly these used around the world, and do
we also have them here in New Zealand.

Speaker 2 (02:08):
Yeah. So, globally, Rosa and Maco robots have assisted in
well over a million joint replacement surgeries combined, which sounds
like a really big number, but if you look at
the total proportion of knee and hip replacements that are
done using robotics, that's actually still quite low, so around
seven percent for hips and fifteen percent for knees done
with robotic assistance, but that has for us increased rapidly,

(02:29):
so by twenty thirty it's expected that around twenty percent
of knee replacements globally will be robotic assisted and almost
thirty percent of hip replacements, So significant growth opportunity ahead.
And while having a robot assist in your orthopedic surgery
does sound very futuristic, we absolutely do already have them
here in New Zealand. So in twenty seventeen, the first

(02:50):
robotic assisted knee replacement surgery was done in north Shore
Hospital so here in Auckland with Strikers Maco robot and
since then we've seen robots placed and actually a number
of different hospitals across the country.

Speaker 1 (03:00):
That's fascinating stuff. So how are the shares are these
companies performing.

Speaker 2 (03:03):
Then, and so this is interesting because there's quite marked divergence.
So Shares and Striker this year, for example, have done
really well, so they've generated thirty percent return for investors,
whereas shares and Zimmer are actually down around ten percent
this year on the back of issues with production, delayed
shipments and market share loss to Striker. And then if
you zoom out over the past decades, Striker has outperformed

(03:24):
the S and P five hundred and generated a return
of around sixteen percent, so ahead of the S and
P five hundred is return of around twelve where as Zimmer,
on the other hand, has been a massive underperformer. It's
gone through a period of mismanagement, it's struggled to compete
with Striker for market share, and if you look back
to twenty fifteen, basically Zimmer shares, if you'd owned them

(03:45):
from then till now, have generated no return for investors.
So even though it's a company in a really interesting space,
that hasn't actually translated to attractive shareholders returns. So it
just shows how important it is for investors to be
really discerning with their investments.

Speaker 1 (04:00):
Isn't it, Debrah, thanks very much, really appreciated. That's Debrah
lamby Milfed Asset Management. For more from Hither Duplessy Allen Drive,
listen live to News Talks it B from four pm weekdays,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio
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