Halton General Hospital community respiratory team invest in new I-STAT machine thanks to charity boost from Breathe Easy in Runcorn

Jan 4 2010 by Adrian Short, Runcorn and Widnes Weekly News

SUFFERERS of chronic lung conditions will be spared painful hospital visits thanks to a Runcorn charity.

The Breathe Easy support group - which provides help and information for people living with lung problems - has donated £1,000 to enable Halton General Hospital to buy a high-tech blood analyser.

The vital hand held device - called an I-STAT - cost £9,000 in total and will enable staff to visit patients suffering from conditions such as chronic bronchitis and emphysema at home.

It is also less painful than the traditional method of blood monitoring.

Health chiefs said the device will be a big boost to the work of the hospital’s community respiratory team, which is run by the hospital’s consultant physician Dr John Williams and brings together community respiratory specialists, specialist nurses and dieticians.