Team at Guy’s & St Thomas’ NHS Trust in London share independent evaluation of efficiency savings made through trial of AI-driven platform used in chest surgery
It’s a boggling idea – chest surgery conducted by robots. But a team at a leading London hospital have been trying exactly that, and can now share their extraordinary results. An independent evaluation found measurable improvements in surgical efficiency from use of Proximie’s Intelligence Suite in operations, with benefits for patients.
Photo by Piron Guillaume / Unsplash
Indeed, Mr Andrea Bille, Consultant Thoracic Surgeon at Guy’s and St Thomas’s NHS Foundation (GSTT) has presented the findings to the 39th annual meeting of the European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery (EACTS).
So what was being evaluated and what were the results?
Proximie’s Intelligence Suit was implemented across two thoracic – that is, chest – surgery lists at GSTT, involving robotic-controlled surgery. The platform’s ambient data collection and AI-driven analysis provided the (human) surgical team with visibility at every stage of the process, allowing them to pinpoint and address inefficiencies.
In doing so, the evaluation found that the GSTT team were able to reduce the duration of surgical procedures by an average of just under 20 minutes per case. Over a whole list, that meant saving n early an entire hour – enough time, it is thought, to allow one extra procedure to be carried out on the same day.
That would obviously be of benefit to patients, helping to reduce waiting times for what is often urgently needed surgery. From an administrative perspective, the evaluation suggests scalable operational and cost efficiencies, increasing patient throughput and reducing cancellations. The platform also identifies ‘opportunity time’ within each surgical list, helping teams to pinpoint bottlenecks, improve flow and deliver more care within existing capacity.
Mr Andrea Bille, Consultant Thoracic Surgeon at Guy’s & St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, says: ‘Our evaluation shows that when surgical teams have access to accurate, data-driven insights, it can translate directly into measurable efficiency gains. By identifying small but meaningful workflow improvements, we were able to save almost an hour across each surgical list – enough time to complete an additional case without extending theatre hours.
‘These results reflect tangible, real improvements that can help reduce cancellations, make better use of NHS resources, and ultimately allow more patients to receive the care they need sooner. As we head into the busy winter months, optimising theatre efficiency in this way is increasingly vital for maintaining surgical capacity and supporting the wider health system.’
Victoria Hatcher, VP Global Marketing & Sales EU at Proximie, adds: ‘The findings of this independent NHS study demonstrate the measurable, real-world impact our technology delivers in the operating room. By leveraging data to drive efficiency, the Intelligence Suite helps hospitals shorten procedure times, treat more patients, and reduce costs. This study validates and reinforces our mission to connect people, devices, and data so clinical teams can focus on delivering exceptional patient care.’
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