Himchan Hospital has received an appreciation plaque from Stryker Korea, the Korean branch of US medical device company Mako Surgical, for performing the most Mako robot-assisted surgeries globally in 2023 and 2024.

The Seoul-based hospital said this milestone underscores its leadership in advancing robot-assisted joint replacement surgery.

Mako robots, which are used for knee and hip replacement procedures, have been approved by the US FDA and have assisted in over 1.5 million surgeries across 44 countries. It has been the subject of more than 425 clinical studies.

In Korea, Mako robots accounted for 61 percent of all robotic joint replacement surgeries in 2023, with a cumulative total of 46,000 procedures in 2024. Currently, 59 Mako robots operate in hospitals across the country.

Himchan Hospital introduced its first Mako robot in 2020 and now operates three units. As of December 2024, the hospital had performed 11,514 robot-assisted procedures — the most by a single hospital worldwide.

Stryker Korea CEO Shim Hyun-woo emphasized the benefits of Mako robot-assisted surgery, stating that its precision technology enables more accurate joint placement, reduces damage to healthy tissue and minimizes blood loss.

“Our team of seven highly experienced orthopedic specialists, each with 1,000 to over 10,000 joint replacement surgeries, performs about 30 procedures per month. By leveraging robotics technology, we enhance both patient outcomes and surgeon efficiency," said Dr. Lee Soo-chan, representative director for Himchan Hospital.

By Chung Hye-lim (hyelimchung@heraldcorp.com)