The first patient has been treated with a device made by Chepstow-based surgical technology company Creo Medical (MediWales, 2017).

The AIM-listed company’s Speedboat device has been used by Professor Brian Saunders at St Mark’s Hospital in London to treat a patient with a large pre-cancerous lesion in the gastrointestinal tract.

Craig Gulliford, chief executive of Creo Medical, said “The first treatment of a patient is a significant inflection in the commercialisation of our first product from the endoscopic pipeline. In line with our strategy, we are increasing surgeon training to expand clinical awareness and bring the benefits of this important new development to those patients in need. We have a complementary range of products in development and believe that this positions Creo well to become a leader in this growing billion dollar market.”

Creo is developing a range of surgical devices that can dissect tissue while using microwaves to staunch the blood flow. These are designed to be used with an endoscope to reduce the need for open surgery.