Heartbeat: SWB invest in new state-of-the-art lithotripter machine

February 23, 2023

The Trust has recently invested in a state-of-the-art lithotripter machine at Sandwell Hospital to treat patients with urinary tract stones.

SWB has expanded its urology stone service by investing in an in-house lithotripter – a treatment using shock waves through which kidney stones are broken into small pieces that can then be passed in the urine.

The key to the success of the lithotripsy service at SWB is the strength of the urology team that supports it. This includes clinical lead Mr Sami and the stone surgeons; Mr Khan, Mr Otite, Mr Ahmad and Mr Dhanasekaran, as well as our dedicated stone clinical nurse specialist Ms Yna Dela Rosa and the dedicated radiography team.

The STORZ Medical X-FP-S lithotripter machine primarily is used to break up kidney stones. Lithotripsy itself is a low risk, non-invasive way of treating stones in the kidney or ureter (the tube between your kidney and bladder) where shockwaves are focused through the skin, onto the stone, using x-ray or ultrasound to target them.

The overall aim of using the equipment is to weaken the structure of the stone, eventually enabling it to break into very small pieces so it can be passed easily through urine.

Consultant Urological Surgeon, Mr Fahd Khan believes the X-FP-S Lithotripter will prove valuable for our patients.

He said: “It’s a fantastic piece of equipment which will provide us with patient benefits for years to come. It has greater accuracy and power than previous models, and as it produces less radiation it is much better for patients.

“This will benefit our patients massively as it will result in us providing timely and effective treatment especially for emergency admissions. In addition, the machine has an array of benefits including high fragmentation efficiency, high precision stone localization, in-line x-ray localisation, minimum side effects for anyone who uses it and lower operating costs.”

Prior to investing the equipment, SWB were using an external company that used to bring a lithotripter on a truck. This would be manually set up and used to treat patients on the day of their treatment. It would then be dismantled; taken away and brought back again and is not as cost effective as owning our own lithotripter.

The lithotripter will also play a key role in Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) strategy, an NHS programme designed to improve the quality of care within the NHS by reducing unwarranted variation. By tackling variation in the way services are delivered across the NHS, and by sharing best practice between trusts, GIRFT identifies changes that will help improve care and patient outcomes, as well as delivering efficiencies such as the reduction of unnecessary procedures and cost savings.

“In essence, it is one of the GIRFT recommendations that acute lithotripsy is a modality that should be available to treat patients when admitted into hospital as an emergency,” said Fahd.

“Our previous mobile service provided by an external company only treated patients a few times a month but the on-site machine will provide acute management of stone patients across the Black Country and will treat patients from Dudley and New Cross hospitals as part of our urology area network.

Fahd added: “As part of our long-term vision for the service, the STORZ Medical X-FP-S lithotripter will also move across to the Midland Metropolitan University Hospital which is scheduled to open in 2024.”