St. Louis – SSM Health St. Clare Hospital – Fenton has reached an exciting milestone in orthopedic care, becoming the first hospital in Missouri to perform a reverse shoulder replacement using Mako SmartRobotics™ technology.
The procedure, completed on March 12, introduces a new level of precision and personalization for patients needing shoulder replacement, offering advanced care close to home in the St. Louis region.
Mako SmartRobotics™ for shoulder, now available nationwide, enhances how these procedures are performed. Using a detailed 3D CT scan, surgeons can map out a patient-specific surgical plan before ever stepping into the operating room. During surgery, the Mako SmartRobotics™ technology assists the surgeon in carrying out the plan with unparalleled accuracy and control.
“It’s incredibly exciting for SSM Health St. Clare Hospital to be the first in Missouri to bring this technology to our patients,” said Dr. Greg Nelson, orthopedic surgeon at SSM Health St. Clare Hospital – Fenton and Orthopedic Associates, LLC. “This isn’t just about being first, it’s about achieving greater precision and better outcomes for the people we serve. With Mako Shoulder, we’re able to offer a more personalized, more precise approach to surgery that we believe will produce better outcomes and a smoother recovery. It’s a meaningful step forward in how we care for our community.”
This milestone also builds on the hospital’s broader commitment to advancing orthopedic innovation. In addition to the first Mako-assisted case, Dr. Nelson and Dr. Patrick Sweeney, orthopedic surgeon at SSM Health St. Clare Hospital – Fenton, have introduced another innovation in shoulder replacement, performing a rotator cuff-sparing surgical approach. Dr. Sweeney recently completed the first DePuy INTACT shoulder replacement in St. Louis.
Together with robotics, the benefit of these technologies is simple: more precision, less tissue disruption, less post-operative discomfort, and a quicker recovery. In the right patients, it can even mean getting out of a sling sooner and returning to daily activities faster.
By bringing these surgical advances, SSM Health St. Clare Hospital – Fenton, is expanding access to leading-edge orthopedic care and continuing to raise the bar for what’s possible locally.
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About SSM Health
Nationally recognized for quality and innovation, SSM Health is a Catholic, not-for-profit, fully integrated health system working to advance health equity and empower all people to achieve their full potential.
With care delivery sites in Illinois, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Wisconsin, SSM Health provides convenient access to high-quality community-based services as well as world-class academic medicine, clinical trials, and research studies. The organization’s footprint includes hospitals, physician offices, outpatient and virtual care services, senior care, comprehensive home care and hospice services, a fully transparent pharmacy benefit company, a health insurance company, and an accountable care organization. As one of the largest employers in every community it serves, the organization’s 40,000 team members and 13,900+ providers are dedicated to fulfilling SSM Health’s Mission: “Through our exceptional health care services, we reveal the healing presence of God.” Like our founding sisters, we care deeply for our communities -- SSM Health reported $470 million in community benefit in 2023, including the provision of more than $346 million in uncompensated care. For more information, visit ssmhealth.com or find us on Facebook and LinkedIn.
