Pleural services at the University Hospital Llandough (UHL) in Cardiff are being improved with the introduction of a S-ICU ultrasound system from SonoSite.
Prior to the introduction, patients on the ward who needed a pleural procedure would be referred to radiology for an ultrasound scan, and then be transferred back to the ward for treatment. Using the S-ICU staff can now perform an ultrasound scan and guided aspiration at the same time. This is safer for patients and streamlines the process, allowing the hospital to increase the number of procedures performed and giving new patients a faster diagnosis.
Dr Helen Davies, consultant chest physician at UHL, said: “UHL provides services to a population of just over 500,000 in Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan, as well as receiving referrals from the whole of south Wales for procedures such as endobronchial ultrasound. The S-ICU was purchased as part of an initiative to establish a more formal pleural service and having a dedicated clinic and ultrasound room helps us to treat patients in a more organised, timely manner, which makes a considerable difference. The system itself is straightforward to use and the image quality is good. It is also very portable and can easily be transferred to different areas of the hospital, such as intensive care, if required, and images can be stored for review, which is ideal for training purposes.”