Alesi Surgical, a Mercia Ventures-backed company tackling the problem of surgical smoke in operating theatres, has raised a further £7m in a round led by IW Capital and supported by Mercia and IP Group.
Surgical smoke, which is produced in around 90% of procedures, impairs visibility for surgeons. As it can contain viruses, bacteria and chemicals, it also increases the risk of infection and presents a toxicity hazard for theatre staff.
In the US 20 states have now passed regulation requiring smoke-free operating theatres. Alesi’s Ultravision platform uses electrostatic precipitation to remove smoke as it is generated rather than relying on conventional methods of suction and mechanical filtration.
The first-generation Ultravision system has already been used in over 50,000 ‘keyhole’ procedures in Europe, the US, and Japan and independent studies have shown that smoke is removed up to 225 times faster than competing technologies.
The technology also reduces strain on the body by enabling surgeons to operate at lower abdominal pressure during laparoscopic and robotic procedures, reducing CO₂ usage by up to 82%. This approach is associated with reduced surgical procedure time, improved patient outcomes and recovery at a lower cost per procedure.
In addition to keyhole procedures, its next-generation Ultravision2 system has also gained regulatory clearance for use in open surgery where current solutions have been described by surgeons as ‘inefficient’, ‘cumbersome’ and ‘noisy’. Alesi, which is based in Cardiff, also offers its own surgical tools that incorporate Ultravision2 technology.
The funding will support international expansion and further development of the Ultravision2 platform as regulation around smoke control tightens.
Dr Dominic Griffiths, Founder and CEO of Alesi Surgical, says: “Electrosurgical tools have transformed modern surgery but also generate surgical smoke that affects the quality and efficiency of surgery and poses risks to operating theatre staff. For years, available solutions have required trade-offs between effectiveness and workflow disruption, slowing adoption across the industry. As awareness grows that smoke management is integral to surgical safety and efficiency, solutions that tackle smoke at its source, such as Ultravision2 which is FDA-approved and CE-marked, are becoming increasingly important for supporting the next generation of minimally invasive and robotic procedures.”
Isobel Egemole, Investment Director at IW Capital, says: “Alesi Surgical offers a fundamentally different approach to smoke management that addresses the problem at its source. As the industry moves toward smoke-free operating theatres becoming the norm, Ultravision2 is well positioned to play a key role.”