CMR’s global surgical training programme receives accreditation from RCS England

To close August, we were thrilled to announce that our global surgical training programme for Versius has received accreditation from The Royal College of Surgeons of England (RCS England).

RCS England is a world leader of surgical education and provides quality assurance for any surgical training run both in the UK and globally. The accreditation process is a review of the entire surgical education provider, its facilities, resources, and educational portfolio, and is only awarded where there is a clear demonstration of excellence in each of these components.

“Developed in close partnership with the surgical community, CMR’s robust metric-based training programme for the Versius system demonstrates a gold standard in surgical education. Its innovative delivery methods exemplify innovation in training delivery and efficiency in supporting surgeons globally.” – Tim Mitchell, President of the Royal College of Surgeons of England

Our metrics-based training programme for Versius focuses on surgeons and the wider surgical team achieving key competencies at each stage of the training pathway to ensure standardisation in surgical skills. The training pathway draws on cutting-edge technology including Versius Trainer and the Versius eLearning platform, as well as newer additions including Versius Virtual Reality and Versius Trainer in VR which support the training pathway to be more accessible.

Find out more about our RCS England accreditation here.

Opening up the opportunity for more patients in Poland to get minimal access surgery

Aleksandra Diyon , General Manager, Eastern Europe

There is no doubt that the use of surgical robots in minimal access surgery brings many benefits to patients. Greater precision allows for smaller skin incisions when compared to open surgery, significantly reducing bleeding and mitigating the risk of infection. For patients, this means a shorter recovery time, more comfort, and most importantly, a faster return home. Although minimally invasive procedures can be complex, the benefits to patients cannot be denied.

As of this month in Poland, accessing medical procedures conducted with surgical robots has become considerably easier. Not that long ago, robotic surgery was the domain of private institutions, limiting the number of patients able to benefit from such minimally invasive solutions. A pivotal moment was the inclusion, starting from April 2022, of radical prostatectomy procedures using robotic systems in the portfolio of services guaranteed by the Ministry of Health. As of this month, two more procedures, the treatment of endometrial cancer and colorectal cancer, will now also be eligible for reimbursement by the Ministry of Health in Poland. This firmly aligns with CMR’s values of making minimal access surgery accessible to more patients globally.??

In addition to these procedures for endometrial and colorectal cancers, radical prostatectomy procedures, performed robotically with systems such as Versius, are also covered by the NFZ reimbursement (NFZ, is the National Health Fund, which manages the healthcare system in Poland). It’s no secret that an increase in accessibility to minimal access surgery through initiatives such as this brings numerous benefits to patients, as outlined above.

Surgical robotics continues to evolve, and Poland is at the forefront in terms of the pace of implementing new systems. Most recently in Poland, Versius has been introduced at Pulawy Hospital, Wladys?aw Biegański Regional Specialist Hospital in Grudzi?dz and Zakopane Hospital, who are using Versius to perform a range of Urological and Gynaecological procedures respectively.?

Currently, Polish hospitals and the surgeons working in them have several systems to choose from, meeting various needs. One of them is Versius – our uniquely small and modular robotic system that seamlessly fits into virtually any operating room setting. It is a convenient and ergonomic solution, offering great versatility in use across a range of surgical specialties. I am delighted about the contribution that Eastern European surgeons have made to the over 14,000 procedures performed using Versius globally, across many different specialties including gynaecology, thoracic surgery, colorectal surgery, general surgery, and urology). In addition to Eastern Europe, the system is currently being used by specialists across the rest of Europe, the Middle East, Asia, Australia, and Latin America.

*https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/surgical-robots-market-256618532.html

**?https://files.mypmr.pro/77c25107da615b53e8354ff8706d852354d54dd0.Pdf

Celebrating more patients in Egypt getting robotic MAS with Versius

We are excited to congratulate Dr Mohamed Diaa Sarhan and the surgical team at International Hospital Urology & Nephrology (IHUN) in Cairo, Egypt for their achievements in using Versius to treat patients. The team is celebrating Dr Diaa Sarhan’s 150th case with Versius in just 20 months. Fantastic to hear the impact Versius is having by giving patients in Egypt access to robotic-assisted minimal access surgery. Congratulations Dr Diaa Sarhan!

Q3 and Q4 upcoming events!

Surgical congress season is well underway! So far this events season, we’ve had a great time at the SRS global congress in Melbourne, participating in Kirurgveckan – ‘surgery week’ – in ?rebro, Sweden, and most recently the combined 3rd International & SRS LATAM Robotic Surgery Congress ? 2nd COLCIR Congress?in Rio De Janerio, Brazil.

Attending a specialty surgical congress or MedTech event this year? Here’s a few of the events where you can hear more about Versius:

• Italian Society of Surgery (SIC)?– On the 19th of September, Barrie Keeler, Consultant Colorectal Surgeon at Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is presenting on his experiences using Versius.
• LSI Emerging MedTech Summit – On day 2 of the summit (20th September) in Barcelona, Spain, our CEO, Supratim Bose , Chief Medical Officer and Co-Founder, Dr Mark Slack and Chief Technology Officer and Co-Founder, Luke Hares are taking part in the keynote session 'Size, Modularity, Portability, Versatility: CMR Surgical's Vision to Scale Surgical Robotics so More Patients Can Receive Minimal Access Surgery'
• European Society for Coloproctology (ESCP) – At the ESCP annual congress in Vilinus, Lithuania, Frances Dixon , Consultant Colorectal Surgeon at Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust will be presenting the Colorectal team’s Abstract ‘Robotic assisted surgery reduces Surgeons intraoperative ergonomic risk scores for major colorectal resection when compared to laparoscopic surgery: A report of the volcano randomised controlled trial’ on the 28th of September.
• European Society for Gynaecological Endoscopy (ESGE) – We'll be at the annual ESGE congress in Brussels, Belgium taking place from the 1st-4th of October. CMR will be hosting an industry symposium on the 3rd of October from 08:00-08:45 on the use of Versius in Gynaecological surgery featuring Prof. Giovanni Scambia, Director of Gynaecological Oncology at Policlinico Gimelli (Chair), Nidhi Singh, Consultant Colorectal Surgeon at Milton Keynes University Hospital and jean-guillaume Feron , Deputy Chief of Breast Cancer, Gynaecological Cancer & Reconstructive Surgery Unit at Institut Curie.
• Urogynaecological Society of Australasia Annual Scientific Meeting (UGSA) – Our Chief Medical Officer and Co-Founder, Dr Mark Slack, is one of the keynote speakers at the 2023 UGSA ASM and Annual General Meeting. At the meeting, Mark will speak alongside UGSA Chair and Urogynaecologist, Professor Marcus Carey about the use of Versius in robotic-assisted pelvic floor surgery, including the suitability of Versius to perform Sacrocolpopexy.