Hywel Dda Health Charities, the official charity of Hywel Dda University Health Board, has purchased new lung function testing equipment worth over £28,000, thanks to charitable donations.

The equipment will support the rapid diagnosis of lung disease in predominantly an outpatient setting but will also be used for inpatients.

The equipment will enable a regular respiratory clinic to take place at South Pembrokeshire Hospital offering a Spirometry and Gas Transfer for Interstitial Lung Disease clinic with respiratory specialist nurses.

Spirometry and Gas Transfer are two different types of respiratory function tests. Spirometry looks at dynamic lung volume and airway pattern, and gas transfer looks at how efficient the lung tissue is working to transport oxygen and carbon dioxide in and out of the blood stream.

The level of service the new equipment will help provide an improved patient service locally and minimise the amount of travelling for Pembrokeshire patients.

The portable equipment will also enable rapid diagnosis and decision making without the need for patients to visit hospital twice.

Angharad Pugh, Senior Respiratory Physiologist said: “Attending South Pembs Hospital is allowing us to monitor disease progression and symptoms in a one-stop clinic, providing the patient with more rapid adjustments in treatment and ongoing management.”