2 May 2021
Versius surgical robot begins first gynaecological procedures in NHS hospital
- Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Trust has become the first in Europe to use the Versius® Surgical Robotic System for major gynaecological surgery
- In the UK up to 60,000 women undergo a hysterectomy every year, however less than half of these are performed laparoscopically (i)
CMR Surgical (CMR) – a global surgical robotics business – today announced the expanded use of its next-generation surgical robotic system Versius® in Europe. For the first time, Versius is being used to conduct major gynaecological procedures, including complex cancer cases, in the NHS at Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Trust. After an initial use in colorectal surgery, Versius has now been adopted in the UK to offer women needing gynaecological procedures greater access to minimal access surgery (MAS), otherwise known as keyhole surgery. Since its introduction, Versius has performed over 100 complex surgeries within the Trust across colorectal, gynaecological, and general surgery.
Nidhi Singh, Consultant in Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, said:
“Versius represents a massive step forward in making MAS accessible to many more patients. A hysterectomy is a major and complex surgical procedure – when performed openly it traditionally requires around five days stay in hospital and many weeks to fully recover. We aim to change this for the hundreds of women who undergo these types of surgeries at our hospital every year. Through Versius we can enable a much wider use of robotic MAS, allowing us to offer benefits such as faster recovery times, less time in hospital and reduced risk of infection to our patients.”
Versius is now established as an important surgical tool in a number of leading hospitals across the world, where it is helping surgeons perform a wide range of MAS procedures. Within Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Versius has been used to conduct a range of gynaecological procedures including hysterectomies, ovarian cystectomies (removal of ovarian cysts) and Bilateral Salpingo-Oophorectomies (removal of fallopian tubes and ovaries). These procedures are often used to help treat ovarian, uterine, and cervical disease, as well as other gynaecological health issues.
Mark Slack, Chief Medical Officer at CMR Surgical, said:
“We are delighted that the team at Milton Keynes are the first in Europe to be using Versius to perform gynaecological procedures. Where surgical robotics was previously focused on Urology, with Versius we are opening up the opportunity for gynaecological cases to be conducted robotically giving patients the benefits of MAS. In designing Versius our goal was to provide a versatile and portable surgical robotic system that could transform the field of minimal access surgery – allowing more patients to benefit than currently do.”
The use of Versius in gynaecology at Milton Keynes University Hospital follows the successful introduction of Versius gynaecology programmes across leading centres in India including HCG Manavata Cancer Centre, Galaxy Care Hospital and Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital. To date, over 1,000 surgical procedures have been completed around the world using Versius.
Read the full press release and watch CMR’s videos here
References: (i) Madhvani K, Curnow T, Carpenter T. Route of hysterectomy: a retrospective, cohort study in English NHS Hospitals from 2011 to 2017. BJOG. 2019 May;126(6):795-802