World's First Robotic Assistant for Shoulder Replacement Surgery Helps Perform Highly Complex Procedures

A key challenge in performing a shoulder replacement is accurate glenoid and humeral placement, which is a critical factor for post-operative function and long-term implant survival. Now, a groundbreaking robotic system for anatomic and reverse shoulder arthroplasty enables surgeons to virtually walk through a procedure before making any resections, and then receive live feedback with the ability to control glenoid ream depth and intra-operatively validate cut resections during the procedure.

Zimmer Biomet (Warsaw, IN, USA) has received U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) 510(k) clearance of the ROSA Shoulder System for robotic-assisted shoulder replacement surgery. ROSA Shoulder is the world's first robotic surgery system for shoulder replacement, and the fourth application for the company's ROSA Robotics portfolio, which comprises the ROSA Knee System for total knee arthroplasty and ROSA Hip System for total hip replacement. ROSA Shoulder provides surgeons the flexibility to execute a total shoulder replacement using anatomic or reverse techniques and to enable precise placement for improved outcomes. ROSA Shoulder is among the only systems that can reproduce humeral head resectioning and ease insertion of instruments into incisions without the need for pin in the center of the glenoid during procedures.

Image: ROSA Shoulder is a groundbreaking robotic system for anatomic and reverse shoulder arthroplasty (Photo courtesy of Zimmer Biomet)

Similar to all ROSA Robotics applications, ROSA Shoulder supports data-informed physician decision-making based on a patient's unique anatomy. Pre-operatively, ROSA Shoulder integrates with the newly released Signature ONE Surgical Planning System 2.0, which uses a 3-D image-based approach to visualization, surgical planning, and patient-specific guide creation. During the surgery, the platform provides surgeons with real-time, intra-operative data to help them control, execute, and validate personalized plans for glenoid and humeral placement, to reduce complications for patients. ROSA Shoulder will be commercially available in the U.S. in the second half of 2024.

"We are proud and excited to be the first company in the world to deliver a robotic surgical assistant for anatomic and reverse shoulder replacement surgery," said Ivan Tornos, President and Chief Executive Officer at Zimmer Biomet. "ROSA Shoulder represents a novel advancement intended to help surgeons leverage the power of robotics and data analytics to perform highly complex shoulder procedures with accuracy and efficiency."