One of the largest healthcare facilities in Lombardy has become the first Italian public hospital to employ the Versius surgical robot to perform keyhole surgery, including thoracic and general surgeries.
The Versius robotic system is a portable and adaptable robot which mimics the movements of a human arm. It is capable of using full wrist movements to assist surgeons with minimal access surgery.
Versius was developed by CMR Surgical, a Cambridge-based surgical robotics company who received the European CE Mark in March 2019 for Versius. Their aim is to make MAS affordable and accessible, and to transform the surgical robotics market.
Currently, global annual revenues for robot-assisted MAS are approximately $4 billion and are anticipated to reach $20 billion by 2025.
With new innovative technologies continually being developed, the Italian surgical robotics market is one of the most prominent in Europe.
However, although Lombardy has the highest concentration of surgical robots in the country, 73% of robotic surgeries are performed in private facilities.
Policlinico di Milano, one of the largest healthcare facilities in Lombardy, is taking on the Versius surgical robotic system as a public hospital with the aim of increasing patients’ accessibility to robotic keyhole surgery.
“It is wonderful to see Versius being used at Policlinico di Milano, one of the oldest and yet most advanced hospitals in Italy,” said Mark Slack, Chief Medical Officer of CMR Surgical.
“Collaboration is embedded in our culture at CMR, contributing tremendous value towards improving the quality of surgical care.
“With its culture of patient safety and high-quality training, a leading hospital such as Policlinico di Milano is the ideal institution to collaborate with to showcase the potential of Versius and provide surgeons with first-hand experience of using the next generation robotic technology to perform keyhole surgery.”
Versius is being used to perform gynaecological, general surgery, thoracic surgery, and urological procedures in a variety of countries in Europe, India, Australia, and the Middle East.
