Heartlands Hospital Charity has recently funded a state-of-the-art lung function machine, called the EasyOne Pro, which could change the way that lung diseases are treated at the hospital.

The lung function machine will be used by Gareth Walters, consultant in respiratory medicine, and his team to monitor the lung function of the many patients that they see.

Gareth and the team care for patients with interstitial lung disease, a broad range of diseases that lead to scarring on the lungs and leave patients short of breath. The most common of these diseases is Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF). The word idiopathic is used for this disease, as we do not know what causes it.

Lung damage from IPF is irreversible, but the symptoms can be treated. In order to receive their treatment, patients at Heartlands Hospital need to have their lung function measured on a regular basis.

Before this new piece of equipment arrived at the hospital, patients such as Colin Dalton had their lung function measured on a large equipment within a laboratory.

Thanks to the EasyOne Pro, patients can now be monitored in more comfort, with a more portable machine that adapts to their needs.

Gareth said: “Until recently, there have only been two treatments that we can give to patients with IPF, but there are a number of trials coming up that we would hope to enter patients into. The EasyOne Pro will allow us to do this.”

“The machine is more flexible than the usual respiratory physiology lab-based lung function machine and we can use that to the patient’s benefit. The machine allows us to measure spirometry, lung volumes and gas transfer measurements which previously we were only able to do in the laboratory.

“We are very grateful to Heartlands Hospital Charity for supplying us with this machine and we hope to get a large number of patients into trials in the coming months and years which hopefully will improve the outcomes for patients who have IPF.”

Colin Dalton has IPF and has been a patient at Heartlands Hospital for the past six years. He said: “The big difference from a patient point of view is the flexibility of it. From the point of view that the surroundings you’re in are less artificial.

“You can sit and be in a more comfortable position; the equipment is user-friendly which makes a big difference. With the old equipment you have to adjust yourself to the equipment and not the other way around.”

Sian Averill, Fundraising Manager at Heartlands Hospital Charity, said: “Heartlands Hospital Charity is proud to have been able to fund the EasyOne Pro, which will make a huge difference to patients. Not only will it improve things for patients in the short term, as it is easier to use than the previous equipment, but the research trials that patients will take part in could change the way we treat these diseases.

Heartlands Hospital Charity works to provide equipment, research and facilities at Heartlands Hospital. None of this would be possible without the kind donations that the Charity receives.

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