Ramping up our virtual reality offering

Since I co-founded CMR Surgical, I’ve always made sure that every decision we take, tweak we make or new product we launch, we ask ourselves the question: “Will this have a positive impact on patients and surgeons?” If we can’t answer yes… then it isn’t happening. If we’re not improving things for patients and surgeons, then it’s just not worth doing.

To the outside world, the answer won’t always be obvious. Take for example, the changes we’ve made to our training pathway for Versius in the last year.?We were the first soft-tissue surgical robotics company to move towards a metrics-based training pathway, with advancements like virtual reality and tele-mentoring as key steps on the training journey.

At first glance, you might just think we’re adding the latest technological fad so we can appear to be an innovative company, moving with the times. But actually, we’ve only invested in world-class technology to improve things for surgeons and their patients. We can now collect and analyse data and metrics at each step of the training journey. This means we can ensure every surgeon that trains with Versius can become proficient more quickly, achieving a consistent standard of care for each patient we treat. We aim to shorten their learning curve so surgeons improve their skills more quickly and can help to treat more patients.

In the last few weeks, we’ve added another tool to our virtual reality armoury (again, another world-first within soft-tissue surgical robotics). We’ve updated our VR headsets so surgeons can use our Versius Trainer simulator in virtual reality. Previously surgeons would have to sit at the console to practice the various tasks and exercises to become skilled at using Versius. Now surgeons can put on a VR headset and practice at a time and place to suit them – in an operating room, in the office or even at home – making it as convenient as possible to train.

The first surgeons to get their hands on the updated headsets were at University Hospital Southampton NHS FT NHS Trust on the south coast of the UK. I went along to their training session to find out what they made of the new tool, and I was delighted with the response.?Lukacs Veres & Alessandro Paolo Tamburrini , thoracic surgeons there described the new VR headset updates as a “game-changer” when it comes to training with Versius. That’s what I want to hear.

I’m so proud of all the work teams at CMR are doing to improve outcomes for surgeons and their patients. Next time you see us announce something at CMR on our social media. I urge you to think about that question: Will this have a positive impact on surgeons and patients? I’m pretty sure the answer will be yes.

Versius onboard PHA Mistral with La Marine Nationale

This month CMR had the privilege of being involved in La Marine Nationale’s (The French Navy’s) offshore trials onboard French naval ship the PHA Mistral. During the sea trip, the PHA Mistral carried out various assessments in their involving medical equipment, including Versius, in conjunction with Santé Armées – The French Military Health Service – and the CEPN (Centre d'etude sur l'evaluation de la protection dans le domaine nucleaires/centre for the assessment of protection in the nuclear field).

An exciting opportunity to take part in their offshore assessments and demonstrate how Versius can be used to bring the benefits of minimal access surgery to all those who need it!

?Versius arrives at Addenbrooke's

Last month we celebrated the installation of Versius at another one of our local hospitals, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust ’s Addenbrooke’s Hospital – a large, internationally recognised NHS teaching and research hospital located in the Cambridge Biomedical Campus. At Addenbrooke’s, Versius is initially set to be used for gynaecological and colorectal surgery, with upper GI to follow.

“We are really excited to be introducing Versius, a locally developed surgical robotic system here at Addenbrookes. Its small form factor and modular design make it ideal for performing intricate colorectal procedures.”

Training of the first surgeons is already underway, with the teams at Addenbrooke’s among the first to take advantage of our new Versius VTVR, and to be trained locally at our new Cambridge training facility.

On the introduction of Versius at Addenbrooke’s, James Wheeler, Consultant Colorectal Surgeon and Divisional Director of Surgery and Theatres at Cambridge University Hospitals commented: “We are really excited to be introducing Versius, a locally developed surgical robotic system here at Addenbrookes. Its small form factor and modular design make it ideal for performing intricate colorectal procedures. We look forward to finishing our training and being able to bring the benefits of robotic-assisted minimally invasive surgery to more patients.”

The introduction of Versius at Addenbrooke’s follows the adoption of Versius by leading cardiothoracic centre, Royal Papworth Hospital. We’re particularly proud to install our second Versius system in Cambridge at Addenbrooke’s, an NHS hospital that serves the community we are a part of. The Cambridge ecosystem is recognised globally for its strong commitment to research and innovation in healthcare. We look forward to getting more training underway, and for cases to begin later this year.

Bringing robotic surgery to more patients in India with Versius

Team India has worked hard to complete a series of Versius installations all across the country in hospitals that have never had access to a robotic system. The introduction of Versius at IGKC Multispecialty Hospital, Srikumaran Gastro Hospital, Datta Meghe Hospital, Medwise Hospital Hyderabad, Kamineni Hospital and Sri Balaji Institute of Medical Sciences mark the first installation of a ?surgical robot at any of these hospitals – and the potential for more patients across India to experience the benefits of minimal access surgery with Versius.

All of the hospitals are introducing Versius as part of multispecialty robotic programmes, demonstrating the versatility of Versius for use across a range of surgical specialties including gynaecology, urology including renal surgery, bariatric surgery, general surgery, upper GI surgery and a range of oncological procedures.

The surgical teams across the centres have introduced Versius to harness the precision and dexterity that robotic surgery can provide. At Kameni Hospital, the surgical team have introduced Versius to operate on otherwise difficult to access areas so that they have better visualisation during surgery as well as supporting better surgical outcomes and the benefits of MAS to patients – including less discomfort and blood loss, shorter hospital stays, and faster recovery time.[i]?

Medwise, a leading provider of cancer treatment in Hyderabad, will use Versius in the treatment of oesophageal cancers. By using a robotic system such as Versius to perform oesophagectomies, the surgeon makes several small incisions in the patient’s chest, rather than one large incision – supporting a quicker recovery and less pain for the patient.

Congratulations to all the hospitals across India who have recently introduced Versius to bring minimal access surgery to more of their patients. We look forward to watching your robotic programmes flourish with Versius!

Getting robotic assisted surgery to more patients across Europe

As a company headquartered out of the UK, we are committed to getting more minimal access surgery to patients across Europe, using the latest in surgical robotics. Since the beginnings of robotic surgery, Europe has always been very under penetrated. Though there is a stronger and stronger appetite from hospital of all sizes to adopt surgical robotics and provide equitable care to all patients. Hospitals across Europe want to see value, a system that works around their hospital and is easy to adopt and help to tackle ever growing waiting lists. Versius, our next-generation surgical robotic system is playing a critical role in this. As part of our mission to bring minimal access surgery to more people we have seen Versius sales grow by over 150% in 2022. This includes in mature European markets such as Italy with installations in centres such as Ospedale Policlinico di Milano , but also in markets such as Eastern Europe where Versius has been introduced at Pulawy Hospital and Opole Oncology Centre in Poland. More recently, Versuis have been introduced at Vilnius University Hospital in Lithuania, who are using two systems across all four specialties. With only 3% of procedures taking place robotically in Europe we have a lot of work to do to work with health systems to help deliver for patients. ?

When I look back over the last year, I am proud that our footprint across Europe has strengthened in line with the scale of the mission. We have recognised the importance of investing further in Europe to ensure our customers have an outstanding clinical support from CMR, working closely with them in surgery as well as a best-in-class professional education approach, supported by centres including IRCAD and Orsi Academy across Europe. We have longstanding partnerships with such respected educational and research institutions, and to have the opportunity to offer our customers world-class facilities for their training and development with Versius.

As part of our investment we opened our European headquarters in Hamburg as a central hub for our customers and our people across Europe. What we now need throughout Europe is a united voice to look at what are the challenges facing European health systems and how surgical robotics is a key part of that puzzle. Organisations such as MedTech Europe and the Association of British HealthTech Industries ( ABHI ) will be key to helping drive the conversation on how we can work together as industry, and we very much look forward to working with our peers and health systems to find solutions in the future.

It is important to share learnings from across European hospitals and we’ve been proud to do that in many of the surgical congresses across Europe. Since 2021 we extended our CE mark indication to include thoracic surgery and since then we have had a number of hospitals across Europe use the system for thoracic surgery including Argenteuil's Centre Hospitalier d'Argenteuil Victor Dupouy , University Hospital Southampton NHS FT , Royal Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust , Ospedale Policlinico di Milano and Klinikum Chemnitz gGmbH to name a few. It was great to be able to bring leading surgeons using the system in thoracic surgery together for a symposium at the European Society of Thoracic Surgeons , and I believe this is an area where the community has been calling for a small and modular system. We expect to see a significant increase in thoracic procedures conducted through robotic assisted surgery in general, and in particular with Versius where system modularity offers a unique advantage for clinical teams.

In October we are looking forward to seeing the European gynaecology community at the ESGE - European Society for Gynaecological Endoscopy in Brussels, where we will be showcasing Versius. One of my favourite things about attending these meetings is getting the opportunity to meet with surgeons from across Europe, as well as reconnecting with existing customers and to celebrate their achievements with Versius. I want to extend my thanks to our customers who are working with us, and most importantly our exceptional teams in Europe who work tirelessly week in and week out to bring the benefits of Versius to more patients.

The past 18 months have been an outstanding journey to build robust foundations for CMR and Versius in Europe. Those foundations are now even stronger than what we initially anticipated, providing us a basis for continued rapid expansion for the next 18+ months. On our way to Transforming Surgery. For good.

Case Milestones

Throughout July, we have celebrated a variety of milestones around the world with Versius – representing more patients around the world getting access to the benefits of robotic-assisted minimal access surgery.?

The teams at Urovita Hospital in Poland have surpassed 500 cases with Versius. Urovita are the first hospital in Eastern Europe to have introduced two Versius systems, which they use for urology and gynaecology procedures. ??

Meanwhile in Italy, the team at Cristo Re Hospital in Rome have now reached the 200-case milestone with Versius after performing a right colectomy. Cristo Re first introduced Versius in 2021, where teams use Versius as part of a multispecialty robotics programme including gynaecology, colorectal surgery, general surgery and urology.

Meanwhile in the UK, the upper GI team at West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust ’s Watford General Hospital safely performed an incredible seven robotic cholecystectomies in a single operating list in a European first.

A wonderful example of the value Versius has to offer, and how robotic surgery can be used efficiently to bring the benefits of minimal access surgery to more patients through tackling waiting lists and improving theatre utilisation, while delivering high-quality care to patients. ?

Congratulations to all of the teams around the world that have brought minimal access surgery to more patients with Versius, we look forward to celebrating your next milestones!

References

[i] Cooper M A, Hutfless S, Segev D L, Ibrahim A, Lyu H, Makary M A et al. Hospital level under-utilization of minimally invasive surgery in the United States: retrospective review BMJ 2014; 349: g4198 doi:10.1136/bmj.g4198.