The hospital test almost as easy as swallowing a pill, just got easier
An amazing hospital test using a pill-sized video camera which travels though the bowel has become easier than ever before, using new technology.
Capsule endoscopies enable University Hospitals of Northamptonshire patients who need their small bowel checked for hidden bleeding, inflammatory conditions, or cancer, to have the check by simply swallowing a camera pill.
The see-through pill- which contains a camera, three lenses (one of them extra wide angle), an LED light, a battery, and a radio transmitter- travels through the bowel taking between two and six images per second until it is passed by the patient.
Back in 2010 Kettering General Hospital was the first hospital in the county to introduce the pioneering procedure but at that time the patient had to wear a cumbersome monitoring shoulder bag/belt data recorder for much of the day while the pill did its work and until enough data had been collected.
The patient then physically returned the device to the hospital where the record was downloaded and turned into a video for clinicians to review.
But now that is changing and getting easier for University Hospitals of Northamptonshire patients.
Clinical Endoscopist Matthew Courtman-Maddalo said: “While the capsule endoscopy and the shoulder bag monitor was innovative for its time, 16 years ago, it is pretty inconvenient for the patient to wear, and restricted their daily activities while the device was recording. “The new equipment replacing the monitoring shoulder bag is a slimmed down, discreet, single use sensor device which sticks directly to the patient's abdomen and has a miniaturised self-contained data recorder built in.
“There are no longer any bulky sensor belts or over the shoulder bags to wear, and most daily activities can continue as normal until they return the device to us to download.
“In the future we aim to put in place arrangements whereby the patient can simply return the device by popping it in the post. This will further improve accessibility and reduce the number of hospital attendances for the procedure.
“We are pleased that Kettering General Hospital is among the first hospitals in the country to begin using this new and more convenient approach.
KGH's Clinical Lead for Gastroenterology, Consultant Gastroenterologist, Dr Andrew Dixon, said: “Capsule endoscopies are now routinely used to investigate the small bowel, which is very hard to investigate any other way.
“They are quick and safe and since we introduced the procedure we have delivered around 130 a year - so about 2,000 so far.
“For suitable patients it is a simple and detailed examination which is literally now as easy as swallowing a pill.
“And with the new technology we have just introduced, it means there is now almost no inconvenience at all while still providing clinicians with the detailed information they need to diagnose patients' conditions.”
The new method of delivering capsule endoscopy is happening at Kettering General Hospital but Northampton General Hospital patients can be referred to the service as well as part of the joint working at the University Hospitals of Northamptonshire,
Image 1 at the top of the page shows, the camera pill used in capsule endoscopy.
Image 2 in the middle of the page shows, t he new stick-on monitor that enables patients to get on with their normal life without inconvenience.
Image 3 at the bottom of the page shows, staff nurse Minu John holds the old-style bulky monitor and Dr Andrew Dixon holds the new stick-on version in its packet (opening the packaging starts the recording so we have kept the packaging on).