We are raising funds to purchase a handheld ultrasound scanner for our liver team, assisting them in the drainage of ascites in patients with chronic liver disease, reducing our patient’s length of stay and enhancing the patient experience.

Ascites

Ascites is a medical term which describes the build-up of fluid within the abdomen. It is normal for there to be a small amount of fluid within the abdomen, which is continually created and absorbed. However, ascites develop when the body is unable to remove this fluid adequately and the amount of fluid in the abdomen increases. There are a number of reasons that this can occur, however it most commonly occurs due to liver disease.

Drainage of ascites

The quickest way to remove this excess fluid is to drain it through a plastic drain inserted into the abdomen. Patients with chronic liver disease will often require drains for the rest of their lives, with most patients getting drained every two weeks.

Before the procedure an ultrasound scan is performed on the patient to confirm the fluid to be drained. However, our liver team do not currently have an ultrasound scanner, meaning that alternative pathways via the renal or radiology teams are having to be used to provide this procedure.

Handheld ultrasound scanner

The handheld ultrasound scanner is completely portable and easy to use. There are no cables, no need to find a plug and no need to have a large room to allow for bulky equipment. Our liver team will be able to walk into the room and begin scanning patients within 30 seconds with high quality images.

 The impact a handheld ultrasound scanner will have:

• No excessive waiting time for procedure
• Increases radiology capacity
• Doesn’t take a vital resource away from the renal team
• Much shorter stay on the ward as procedure can be performed as a day case
• Enhances the patients overall experience within the hospital environment