Versius surgical robot joins Manchester Royal Infirmary

Dubbed Versius, the surgical robot is the first of its kind to be used at the hospital to perform minimal access surgery (keyhole) for a range of colorectal procedures.

How the Versius robot could bring keyhole surgery to the masses

The technology is expected to benefit patients at the MRI by reducing their length of stay and improving recovery time, as well as making the procedure less strenuous on the surgeon.

The MRI is the third hospital in the UK to embark on the surgical robotic programme using Versius, which has been designed and manufactured by CMR Surgical.

In a statement, Mark Slack, Chief Medical Officer at CMR Surgical said: “A main goal when we designed Versius was that we wanted to significantly widen access to minimal access surgery. The introduction of Versius at Manchester Royal Infirmary is a key part of that journey.

“The fact that this leading teaching hospital has never had a surgical robot highlights the need for a new approach to surgical robotics and reinforces the value of the defining features of Versius – its portability, versatility and its cost-effectiveness. These are attributes that we believe will open the door to more minimal access surgery across the world improving outcomes for patients, surgeons and hospitals.”