• The versatile surgical robot Versius has now been used to perform over 20,000 surgical cases across seven specialties with data collected in the clinical registry and digital ecosystem to support sharing insights with surgeons and hospitals
  • The small and portable design of Versius has supported over 75% of hospitals to use Versius across two or more specialties
  • Reflecting the versatile design of Versius, the system has been most used across urology, general surgery, gynaecology, colorectal surgery, and a growing base of thoracic surgeons

CMR Surgical (CMR) – the global surgical robotics business – has today announced that over 20,000 Versius surgical cases have now been completed as the Company works with hospitals and surgeons around the world to bring minimal access surgery to everyone who needs it.

The Versius Surgical Robotic System is a small, modular and versatile surgical robot used for soft tissue surgery. The innovative small and portable design allows for it to be integrated into busy hospital workflows and easily moved between surgical departments, supporting high utilisation of the system. Over 75% of hospitals who have adopted Versius are using the system across two or more surgical specialties, leading to some hospitals around the world purchasing more than one system.

Versius is suited to assisting surgeons overcome the challenges posed by operating with a minimally invasive approach in surgical specialties that haven’t historically adopted surgical robotics – such as thoracic surgery – with Versius being well suited to operating on the lungs, thymus, and oesophagus. Through small incisions between the patients’ ribs, thoracic surgeons such as the team at Policlinico di Milano in Italy can work precisely and accurately in the chest cavity with Versius, benefitting from its small, fully wristed instruments and 3D HD vision. The uniquely small and modular design of the system allows the system to be set up in a way that gives the surgeon optimal access through the rib cage.

Versius is used across a range of surgical specialties to perform common and complex elective surgical procedures, including prostatectomies, abdominal wall repair, hysterectomies, proctocolectomies, esophagectomies and lobectomies. This includes the use of Versius in combined operations such as endometrial tissue removal, rectopexy and ureteroplasty by the team at Unimed Litoral Hospital in Santa Catarina, Brazil; and fundoplication with Nissen’s technique, gastric bypass and cholecystectomy performed at Hospital Lusíadas Porto, Portugal.

Sangeeta Sawant and Radhika Padmagirison, Consultant Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust performed the 20,000th procedure using Versius and commented: “It is exciting for us to embark on the robotic journey with CMR. Having done a few cases, we can already feel the difference from the straight stick procedure especially with 3D vision, dexterity of the arms which provide enhanced manipulation which is definitely not possible on straight stick; and we can tell that patients have minimal discomfort at discharge. We are very grateful to have done the 20,000th case and hopefully will be able to do many more.”

Dr Raj Nagarkar, MD and Chief Surgical Oncologist, HCG Manavata Cancer Centre commented: “I have done over 1,000 cases using Versius and the system has been crucial for helping me to deliver excellent oncological care in my centre. Across India, we have a strong demand for the adoption of new innovative technologies, and I am delighted that patients with cancer coming to HCG Manavata can receive treatment using the latest tool to deliver robotic assisted surgery. I have seen patients be able to go home quicker and have reduced blood loss and pain as a result of robotic assisted surgery, and I am pleased to be able to offer this option to our patients.”

Mark Slack, Chief Medical Officer, and Co-founder, CMR Surgical commented: “Surpassing the 20,000 case milestone is a significant achievement that I am tremendously proud of us reaching. When CMR was founded, our mission was to make the benefits of minimal access surgery more accessible to those who need it, with Versius. From a clinical perspective the data we have in the clinical registry, as well as the data generated by Versius is invaluable for supporting product development, clinical research and guiding best practice for surgeons using the system. I look forward to our next clinical milestone as CMR continues to grow, and more patients benefit from robotic-assisted minimal access surgery with Versius.”

Supratim Bose, Chief Executive Officer, CMR Surgical commented: “It is wonderful to be celebrating this historic milestone of Versius being used to complete more than 20,000 surgical procedures around the world. This is a momentous achievement in our journey, and mission to get minimal access surgery to everyone who needs it. Reaching this volume of cases performed by small, medium and large hospitals from around the world is clear evidence that Versius is versatile and suitable for most hospitals and has become well established around the world. Thank you to our customers who have worked alongside us to reach this milestone.”

To support the continued commercial roll out of Versius, further product enhancements are expected to be launched this year, following vLimeLite* – a new imaging technology to visualise ICG, enhancing visualisation during surgery. There are now over 160 Versius installations around the world as CMR continues to make the benefits of robotic-assisted minimal access surgery more accessible to patients globally.