New UHNM sickle cell monitoring service brings diagnostic care closer to home
A new ultrasound screening service at Staffordshire Children’s Hospital at Royal Stoke is set to bring potentially life-saving sickle cell monitoring and diagnostic care closer to home, benefiting dozens of patients and their families each year.
The transcranial doppler (TCD) service will help to identify the risk of stroke in children as young as two-years-old diagnosed with the disease by detecting early narrowing of blood vessel walls in the brain.
The service, set to launch at University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust (UHNM) later this month and run in partnership with visiting specialists, will offer care to patients who would otherwise have had to travel to Birmingham for outpatient appointments.
Dr Aswath Kumar, consultant paediatrician in oncology and haematology, said: “The number of sickle cell patients under the care of Staffordshire Children’s Hospital at Royal Stoke has risen from two a decade ago to almost 40, so I am very excited that we are able to launch this vital new TCD service for the benefit of our local population.
“Sickle cell disease is known to be associated with a high risk of children developing a stroke in early years. The non-invasive ultrasound scan assesses the flow of blood in vessels in the brain, giving us an idea about the risk of the patient’s risk of developing a stroke in the future. If we can pick things up early, in the majority of cases treatments can take place here at Staffordshire Children’s Hospital at Royal Stoke to reduce the chance of patients suffering from a stroke or other associated complications.
Sickle cell disease is the name for a group of inherited health conditions that affect the red blood cells, and is particularly common in people with an African or Caribbean family background.
Dr Kumar said: “The ability to be able to offer this service locally here in Stoke-on-Trent and North Staffordshire is vital. Despite the scan’s importance, some families from our area were unable to attend appointments in Birmingham due to both time and financial restrictions. Improving access to it will help to potentially save the lives of some of our youngest sickle cell patients.”