A Glasgow-based company is pleased to announce that three out of four cardiac centres in Scotland are now using its innovative technology during heart surgery for better patient outcomes

CardioPrecision, which is focused on less invasive treatment of structural heart disease and cardiothoracic interventions, also notes the centres are reporting positive results.

They are using its CoreVista® on-screen system for precise Endoscopic Vessel Harvesting (EVH) — a minimally invasive procedure that makes only a small incision, creating faster recovery times, less time spent in hospital, reduced pain, less blood loss, and a lower risk of infection.

The system is the world’s first to bring a screen into the operative field within direct sight and control of the EVH operator. The goal is to make EVH faster to learn for new operators, provide more comfortable working conditions for seasoned operators — in turn, avoiding sick leave from neck and back strain injury — and enable more efficient equipment setup.

Scotland’s transformation from open surgical techniques to endoscopic harvesting for coronary artery bypass (CABG) surgery has been championed by Consultant Cardiothoracic Surgeon and EVH innovator, Mr Fraser Sutherland.

Mr Sutherland — Chief Medical Officer at CardioPrecision, which was spun out from NHS Scotland via InnoScot Health — is proud to say that colleagues in his field have backed CoreVista® benefits.

He said: “In the current era of minimally invasive surgery, endoscopic harvesting of vessels has become the standard of care.

“However, the transition to EVH from conventional open surgery can be challenging. The CoreVista® system is intended to make it easier to get started and easier for trained practitioners to continue.”

The company’s entry into the EVH market started in 2022 at Circle Health Group’s flagship private hospital in Glasgow, Ross Hall Hospital.

Further adoption of CoreVista® for EVH quickly followed in 2023 at the Golden Jubilee National Hospital — Scotland’s largest NHS cardiac hospital and home to national services including transplantation — as managers became increasingly aware of the significant benefits for both patients and organisations.

NHS Grampian has now started its own EVH programme at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary utilising CardioPrecision technology.

Mr Hussein El-Shafei, Consultant Cardiothoracic Surgeon at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, said: “We are delighted to have started our EVH programme in Aberdeen using the CoreVista® system. Our surgical care practitioner (SCP) has attained full proficiency and independence thanks to a relatively short period of experience with this innovative approach. That training will now be extended to other operators.

“Our patients and the nursing staff are very pleased with the clinical results so far. We are undergoing an audit process and look forward to many more successful, minimally invasive CABG surgeries in the future.”

Dr Ying Sutherland, Chief Executive of CardioPrecision, said “I hope that further surgeons and managers in Scotland will come to appreciate the benefits of EVH and the CoreVista® System so that they can start a programme, mirroring the successes of others before them.”

The CoreVista® system provides a high-definition surgical monitor directly in front of the operator, which sits on the operating table behind a sterile disposable cover.

Ying continued: “There’s strong scientific evidence to say that having the monitor positioned in this way improves the speed and accuracy of motor tasks. This translates into accelerated, more focused learning so that operators proceed to independent operating much more quickly than with conventional systems which can be cheaper.

“We believe that more traditional set-ups can negatively affect posture. It’s known that SCPs can suffer back and neck strain injury over their working lives from straining to see wrongly positioned surgical monitors or bending over patients during conventional vein harvesting practice.

“Our system helps to prevent that, facilitating a long, sickness-free, working life for surgical care practitioners which ultimately makes for a more efficient NHS.”

Executive Chair of InnoScot Health, Graham Watson said: “It is no surprise to me that CardioPrecision tech has become the overwhelming choice for Scotland’s EVH practitioners. The benefits are clear, engendering easier procedures, helping training, and making patients’ lives better.

“We are proud to have invested in those capabilities and to retain a presence on its board as it continues to go from strength to strength while widening its scope from landmark Scottish success to making its mark on the international map.”