NHS Highland will begin a new service to help patients suffering from suspected cancer get treatment locally.
Currently, patients who suffer from suspected pleura and lung cancer travel hundreds of miles to either Glasgow or Aberdeen for a biopsy.
Until now, Raigmore Hospital in Inverness has been unable to provide this service, but thanks to funding from Friends of Raigmore, new equipment has been acquired.
NHS Highland’s respiratory team is developing a medical thoracoscopy service, which will allow biopsies from the lining of the lung to take place under local anaesthetic.
Before, patients had to undergo general anaesthetic – unavailable in Inverness – and carried more risk.
The new service will make it much easier for patients within the NHS Highland health board to be seen, preventing long journeys to other cities.
‘Bring great benefit to patients.’
Dr Beth Sage, a respiratory consultant with NHS Highland, said: “Malignant pleural mesothelioma is a cancer affecting the lining of the lung and most often occurs in elderly patients who have worked with or been exposed to asbestos.
“Currently it is difficult to diagnose mesothelioma and it often needs a biopsy, with patients travelling to Glasgow or Aberdeen, to prove it through a surgical biopsy that requires a general anaesthetic and a 2-3 day stay in hospital.
“Thanks to this donation we will soon be able to offer an alternative called a ‘medical local anaesthetic thoracoscopy’ that can be performed at Raigmore by the respiratory consultants.”
Additional training on the new equipment is required before the service can be set up, but NHS Highland aims to make the service available in the autumn.
Christina Cameron, chairwoman of the Friends of Raigmore, said: “We’re delighted to hand over this piece of equipment which we know is going to bring great benefit to patients and reduce their need to travel outside of Highland for treatment.”
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