4 November 2011
A charitable donation of £16,000 has funded a brand new, state-of-the-art piece of medical equipment at St Helier Hospital that will help to treat women who have suffered a serious perineal injury during childbirth (where the muscles around the vagina and anus are damaged).
The generous donation from the St Helier and Sutton League of Friends has allowed the pelvic floor clinic to purchase a brand new Delphis anal manometry system. The clinic treats women who have problems with pelvic floor muscles - the broad group of muscles, ligaments and sheet-like tissues that help to control your bladder and bowel.
The new machine allows clinicians to measure the strength of these muscles more accurately than ever before, meaning that they can assess the severity of the problem more effectively and can decide on the best method of treatment quickly.
Mr Demetri Panayi, the consultant urogynaecologist who leads the service, said: "It is rare for a woman to suffer a significant injury during childbirth, but on the occasions when it does occur, it have a lasting affect on your day-to-day life by causing damage to the muscles that control your bowel.
"We find that many women who have suffered a serious injury during childbirth can be, quite understandably, deeply upset by the experience. That's exactly why we have a midwife counsellor on hand, working alongside our team of nurses, consultant and dedicated physiotherapist to help as we treat our patients. But at the basis of the work that we do, we need an accurate and timely diagnosis, which is exactly why this new machine is so important to us.
"The new machine - which has very quickly become a vital component of the service that we are offering local women - is a fantastic boost for our service, and our hundreds of patients.
"On behalf of the pelvic floor clinic, I would like to say a huge thank you to the League of Friends."
Linda Fletcher, honorary secretary of the League of Friends, said "We're here to help where we can, and it's being able to fund such equipment for the hospital that makes volunteering so worthwhile."
Val Brundle, Chair of the League of Friends, said: "It was a pleasure to be able to support Mr Panayi and his service, and we are pleased to see that the hard work of our volunteers and supporters has, once again, benefitted the community around us.
