Robotic Surgery Reduces Hospital Stay Length

Meet "Versius", a new robot that performs minimal access surgery (MAS), helping to reduce complications and pain in patients. The new technology debuted in Europe when Western General Hospital in Edinburgh started using the robot to carry out keyhole surgical procedures. Since then, Versius has been performing a range of colorectal surgeries, including procedures for serious bowel disease and cancer.

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The robot has three arms that a surgeon can manoeuvre using joystick-like controls; meanwhile, computer-augmented display screens help the surgeon monitor the procedure. In addition, the robot is portable enough to be moved between sites in a hospital or even between hospital sites.

From Western Hospital, the technology has extended its reach within the NHS. Versius is now also helping treat patients at Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Trust in Buckinghamshire, England.

More NHS hospitals are expected to follow suit, adopting the technology over the course of 2020, according to CMR Surgical, the company that developed the system.

Versius has the potential to perform up to 700 MAS procedures each year in the first two NHS hospitals, providing an alternative to open surgery, CMR added.

Compared to open surgery, MAS is associated with fewer infections, as well less pain and scarring. MAS patients are also expected to recover faster, with fewer post-operative bed days required for recovery.

In fact, swapping to MAS from open surgery cut the average length of stays for gynaecology patients from 5.5 days to just 1.5 days in 95% of cases, according to a 2018 report by the Office of Health Economics.

“Our focus now will be on working with the surgical community across the UK to provide the option of minimal access surgery to everyone who may benefit,” said CMR’s chief medical officer Mark Slack.

The company also said it is running a clinical registry to create a database of outcomes information for patients treated using Versius. The registry will help with monitoring patient safety and providing information for refining the use of the robot.

It was in India where Versius made its global debut last year. The robot was first used at Galaxy Care Hospital in Pune for keyhole or laparoscopic surgical procedures, including hysterectomies and myomectomies.

Source: pharmaphorum.com
Image credit: CMR Surgical