Royal Papworth Hospital to become first in UK using CMR Surgical’s Versius robot for thoracic surgery

Royal Papworth is to become the first UK hospital to use CMR Surgical’s Versius robot for thoracic surgery.

The Cambridge hospital said it will enable its surgeons to perform even more minimally invasive surgery, which will improve outcomes and recovery times for patients, while cutting the time they spend in hospital.

The first operations using Versius at Royal Papworth are expected this spring.

Impington-headquartered CMR Surgical has overseen more than 100 installations of Versius in more than 20 markets around the world - but this will be the first in the company’s home county.

“Our vision is to provide tomorrow’s treatment to today’s patients, and purchasing this Versius robot does just that, representing a significant investment in patient care,” said Tim Glenn, chief finance officer and deputy chief executive at Royal Papworth Hospital.

“We are delighted to be working with our Cambridge neighbours at CMR Surgical, helping to provide the highest quality of care to patients that we serve.”

Adam Peryt, consultant thoracic surgeon and clinical lead for thoracic surgery at Royal Papworth Hospital, added: “Our patients from across the East of England and beyond who need lung surgery in the future will benefit from this collaboration.

“It also benefits our operating theatre staff, who will be trained on cutting-edge technology to drive forward outcomes and recovery times for our patients.

“I am very excited to begin using this robot to enhance the world-class outcomes and care that we already provides to its patients.”

Versius mimics human arm joints, although it has four times more rotation than the human wrist. In addition to patient benefits, it eases the strain on surgeons while its small, modular form - a contrast to earlier surgical robots - means it can be moved between different theatres and potentially used for different specialties, such as transplantation.

Mark Slack, chief medical officer at CMR Surgical, said: “We are delighted to be partnering with the world-class surgeons and surgical teams at Royal Papworth as the first to use Versius in thoracic surgery in the UK.

“Versius was designed to make the benefits of minimal access surgery available to more patients around the world, and we’re thrilled that thoracic patients in the UK will now be able to access to this type of treatment.

“Versius is well-suited to thoracic surgery as it allows optimal access through the rib cage, and the small fully-wristed instruments can work precisely in the thoracic cavity.

“We look forward to working with Royal Papworth on bringing the benefits of this technology to as many patients as possible.”

Nicci Briggs, chief finance officer for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Integrated Care System, said: “Providing this incredible piece of technology is the result of local providers working together with the key focus on innovation, which will improve the experience and care for local people.

“Not only does this support the local NHS’ digital agenda, but it also supports the ICS’ vision of working together to improve the health and wellbeing of our local people throughout their lives.”

Royal Papworth staff will now undergo a comprehensive training programme, including in-person, via remote telementoring and using virtual reality technology.

The announcement of the partnership represents an encouraging start for CMR Surgical’s new CEO.

The Evolution Business Park-based company, which is building manufacturing facilities near Ely, has confirmed that Supratim Bose has replaced Per Vegard Nerseth as CEO with immediate effect.

Supratim, who has more than 40 years of extensive senior leadership experience in the medical technology industry, joined in February as a senior advisor to the CEO, taking over the leadership of the Asia, Middle East and Africa region and leading commercial operations across the three regions.

He has held leadership positions in global organisations including Johnson & Johnson (J&J), Boston Scientific and ConvaTec.

Supratim said: “With Versius we have an opportunity to help hospitals and surgeons transform surgery for people around the world. I am excited to lead a business that has such a differentiated product with Versius, that is addressing a high unmet need for better surgical care around the world.”

Per Vegard, who joined the company in January 2020, added: “During my time at the company I am proud to have seen CMR expand its commercial operations and bring Versius into the hands of more surgeons and hospitals. After experiencing strong growth, CMR is now the second largest surgical robotics company on the market with a significant presence across four continents. I look forward to seeing the Company continue to grow so that more hospitals and patients can benefit from minimal access surgery.”

Umur Hursever, on behalf of the board of CMR Surgical, commented: “We are delighted to have someone of Supratim’s experience leading CMR. CMR has a very powerful mission to bring minimal access surgery to everyone who needs it, and given Supratim’s exceptional track record leading global MedTech businesses I am excited to work with him and the leadership team to continue to disrupt the market. I would like to thank Per Vegard for his contributions to CMR and wish him well for the future.”