Artificial intelligence is still in its early stages in orthopedics, but surgeons are already finding ways it can improve efficiency and patient care.
James Germano, MD, chair of orthopedics at New Hyde Park, N.Y.-based Northwell Health’s Long Island Jewish Valley Stream (N.Y.) Hospital, who performed the first U.S. AI-assisted hip replacement, said the most immediate advantage is how quickly it can generate surgical plans.
“In this particular situation, what the AI does is … something that takes normal people a couple weeks to do, and it can do it in minutes,” Dr. Germano said. “Normally, I would get the scan, send it to the cloud and wait two weeks. Here, I plug it into the computer and it spits out the results in four minutes.”
The system produces recommendations for implant size and positioning based on a patient’s anatomy. Surgeons can then make final adjustments before executing the plan with robotics or navigation.
While efficiency is the clear early gain, Dr. Germano said AI’s influence will extend well beyond the operating room. He pointed to future opportunities for intraoperative decision support, postoperative monitoring and large-scale data analysis to refine techniques.
By analyzing outcomes at scale, AI could help identify patients who fall outside the typical recovery curve and often struggle after surgery.
“If we can figure out who those patients are and make our adjustments, I think our satisfaction and functional rates will get even more precise and better,” he said.
Still, challenges remain. Surgeons worry about losing the human aspect of care, face learning curves with new systems and must navigate regulatory limits.
“The FDA right now doesn’t really let AI make any real decisions. It can give you suggestions, and then you have to make the decision and kind of say yes or no,” Dr. Germano added.
Patients’ comfort with digital tools and the cost of adoption are also barriers, though he expects these concerns will lessen over time.
For surgeons considering AI, Dr. Germano recommends an open, but measured, approach.
“It’s always nice to see new stuff and see what’s out there. And even if you don’t adopt it, you can learn things about what you do whenever adding new technology,” he said.
He added that implementation often slows workflows initially, but in the long run can improve outcomes, raise patient satisfaction and allow physicians to spend more time with patients.
“People are afraid AI is going to take away that humanness,” Dr. Germano said. “But I think if you use it correctly, it actually may improve it.”
