Surgical robots have gone to East Surrey Hospital to help them with complex procedures, including cancer operations.
An agreement between CMR Surgical and Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust, which runs the hospital, will allow Versius robots to be used to increase access to keyhole surgery, a minimally invasive procedure known which has a shorter recovery time.
This is the first time that hospital surgeons are working on a robotic system, which will be part of a multispecialty program. Versius robots will first be used in the urology department before expanding to colorectal, upper GI, gynecology, and general surgery.
The compact size of the robot makes it easily transportable between departments and operating rooms. The facility will also allow more patients to benefit from cutting-edge robotic technology that provides minimal access surgery.
Otherwise known as hole surgery, the procedure is associated with a number of benefits for patients, including less pain, a reduced risk of infection, a shorter recovery time, and a shorter hospital stay compared to traditional open surgery.
Professor Abhay Rane, consultant urologist surgeon at the Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust, said: “The clear 3D visualization of Versius provides to the surgeons a greater precision and control, allowing like this a safer surgery with results improved in the long term. It will be used in due course by all our surgical specialties that we trust here, thus benefiting a significant number of patients. “
Mark Slack, chief physician at CMR Surgical, added: “In designing Versius our goal was to provide a versatile and portable surgical robotic system (that could fit virtually any operating room) to accomplish our mission of transforming the field of surgery. minimum access and make it available to many more patients around the world. “
The continued expansion of Versius within the NHS means more patients will never be able to benefit from key hole procedures. It’s been just under 18 months Versius was first used for nail hole surgery. Prior to that, the robot had been used to perform colorectal surgeries in patients with severe bowel disease or cancer.
