Latest news with #UniversityHospitalsCoventryandWarwickshire
BBC News
12-04-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Coventry-led trial for device that could prevent miscarriages
A new product being trialled to improve the absorption of the hormone progesterone in threatened miscarriages could "transform" women's experiences, experts say. Named Callavid, the small tampon-shaped device aims to replace the use of vaginal of progesterone, which help prepare the womb for the growing baby, are recommended for women who have suffered at least one miscarriage and suffer early bleeding in subsequent pregnancies. The current delivery method can leak and cost the NHS up to £236m per year, health economists say. University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire (UHCW) NHS Trust is leading the trial and said more than 150,000 women in the UK could be eligible for prescriptions of device, created by Calla Lily Clinical Care, can move to in-person trials after it received £1m in funding from the National Institute for Health and Care of Calla Lily Clinical Care Lara Zibners said the funding would bring them "one step closer to making this product available to help women at one of the most distressing moments of their lives".Professor Siobhan Quenby, who specialises in obstetrics and reproductive health at UHCW, said methods to "reduce additional psychological anxiety" were badly needed."Through this innovation, one which is being pioneered right here in the UK, I believe there is potential to transform women's experience." Follow BBC Coventry & Warwickshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
BBC News
08-04-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Coventry: 'My robotic cancer surgery was a game changer'
A fundraiser who has undergone two robotic cancer surgeries has described the technique as a "game-changer".Joe Argue, from Wythall, has had two successful robotic surgeries at University Hospital Coventry to remove a tumour in his colon and 76-year-old described the experience as "remarkable" and added he could not speak highly enough of robotic comes as the University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire (UHCW) received a £2m Da Vinci Xi robot, which it said would boost their robotic procedures from around 440 to 1,300 a year. Mr Argue had his first robotic surgery in March 2021 to remove a tumour in his colon, then a second in November 2022 to remove a liver tumour."Just five weeks after being diagnosed, I had the operation, and when I was up on the ward in recovery, I asked the nurse if I had actually had anything done because there were no aches or pains at all," he said. Funded by the UHCW charity, the Da Vinci Xi is the third robot bought using charitable Argue is one of the fundraisers who has helped fund the robotic surgery systems through his cycling efforts as part of the Birmingham Irish Cycle Appeal (BICA).He said he was back on his bike within months of having both surgeries."The two rides we have done since to help raise funds have both been more than 500 miles, and I have completed them both on a manual bike, so that is a testimony to how good the recovery can be," he said."I am now out on my bike three times a week training for this year's cycle." The robotic surgical systems are used to perform a range of operations, which include the removal of tumours for cancer Ahmad, surgeon at UHCW NHS Trust, said as well as being minimally invasive, patients also benefit from earlier access to post-operative treatments such as radiotherapy and chemotherapy, have minimal scarring and have fewer interoperative and post-operative complications."Since we started robotic surgery in 2013, we have become a multi-disciplinary centre of excellence," said Mr Ahmad. "Thousands of cancer patients have benefitted from successful surgery." Follow BBC Coventry & Warwickshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
BBC News
27-03-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Coventry drone trial aims to speed up radioactive drug travel
Trials have been taking place to see if radioactive medicine can be delivered to hospitals by drone company Skyfarer has teamed up with University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire (UHCW) NHS Trust and Viking Drone Packaging to build the unmanned aerial Orca, the drone would allow hospitals to send and receive treatments with a short lifespan, much more quickly than by road, said test drone could carry packages up to 15kg (33lbs) in weight. Trials are currently being carried out in the city, and regulatory approval would be required before drone flights are cleared for is hoped the project would be up and running within the next few Parnham, chief executive officer at Skyfarer, said: "The Orca is poised to truly transform medical logistics, ensuring secure delivery of critical medicines which are encased in lead to hospitals and healthcare facilities across the region."The Orca drone represents a significant milestone in our mission to revolutionise the delivery of critical medical supplies, and this initiative not only showcases the potential of drone technology in healthcare but also underscores our commitment to improving patient outcomes through innovation." Dr Lisa Rowley, head of nuclear medicine and vascular ultrasound at UHCW NHS Trust, said the potential to transport radioactive tracers between hospitals by drone was "very exciting"."We need to give patients a certain amount of a tracer [a small dose of a radioactive chemical] to enable us to get good, clear images from scans so that we can accurately diagnose their conditions," she said."But these materials have a short half-life and start to decay rapidly, so it's important we get them to patients as quickly as possible."If we can do that faster by drone rather than losing time taking the materials by road, then it will have the potential to make care increasingly accessible, especially for patients at more remote hospitals. "It means they wouldn't have to travel to other hospitals for treatment and would save time and travel costs. It also offers environmental benefits due to a reduced carbon footprint." Follow BBC Coventry & Warwickshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
Yahoo
11-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Multi-million pound hospital expansion approved
Multi-million pound plans to expand a hospital in Warwickshire and reduce waiting times have been given the go-ahead. The plans would see four new theatres, two 24-bed wards and 12 recovery bays built at the Hospital of St Cross, Rugby. University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire (UHCW) NHS Trust, which manages the site, has said Rugby Borough Council have now approved the plans. The trust said the facilities will see new services introduced at the hospital, such as keyhole abdominal surgery. Plans show that the new wards will also allow for the expansion of spinal surgery, inpatient gynaecology, hip and knee replacements and breast surgery. Professor Andy Hardy, Chief Executive Officer at UHCW, said: "The development of the Hospital of St Cross is a key priority for the Trust, as we set out in our Organisational Strategy in 2022." "Building a new inpatient ward and theatre facility is the first step in an ambitious longer-term vision for the site, ensuring the Hospital of St Cross plays a key role in improving the experiences of our patients and staff and driving down waiting times," he continued. The theatre and ward complex will be set over three storeys, with the ground floor containing the operating theatres, the first floor housing two wards, and the second floor including a plant to meet extensive mechanical and electrical requirements. A new staff car park is also planned, creating more spaces elsewhere for patients and visitors. Follow BBC Coventry & Warwickshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram. Hospital ward closure is 'wrong' - staff member 'We feel forgotten as hospital plans to shut ward' Hospital ward to close, according to MP The future of Rugby's St Cross Hospital University Hospitals Coventry & Warwickshire
