Oxford Pleural Unit chooses portable ultrasound for bedside interventions

Clinical research fellow Dr John Corcoran and consultant and senior lecturer, lead for pleural diseases, Dr Naj Rahman.

The Oxford Pleural Unit has installed a MyLab Alpha ultrasound system to allow treatment at the patient’s bedside.  This also means that all interventions can be carried out under guidance.

One of the first patients to receive treatment with the system was a lady with metastatic ovarian cancer on the oncology ward at the Churchill Hospital.  Her care was considered to be palliative; she was unconscious and considered to be moribund.  The pleural team, trained to RCR guidelines for the use of ultrasound, were able to use the MyLab Alpha at the bedside and found a large pleural effusion.  The patient was considered too unwell to be moved to radiology and so intervention was provided at the bedside using the MyLab Alpha for guidance.  Some days later the patient was conscious and able to be discharged.  Consultant and senior lecturer at Oxford Centre for Respiratory Medicine Dr Naj Rahman explained: “This is a perfect example of how what we do not only affects hospital costs with inpatient beds but also dramatically affects the quality of life for patients and in this case, meant the patient was able to return home.”

See the full report on page 14 of the May 2016 issue of RAD Magazine.