A hospital in southern Powys has installed a new piece of equipment to test the function of people’s lungs worth over £40,000.

Patients of Bronllys Hospital now have access to equipment essential for treating conditions such as asthma, bronchiectasis or pulmonary diseases, thanks to a newly installed Body Plethysmograph at the medical centre.

The £42,000 medical device was installed on Thursday, September 5, with Powys Teaching Health Board hoping it will reduce the amount of patient travel as well as shorten waiting times.

According to the health board, any patient in need of lung function testing can now be referred directly to a facility within one of Powys’ own hospitals rather than having to cross the border.

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Kimberley Lewis, Specialised Respiratory Physiologist, explained: “Typically, a patient would have previously gone to see their GP, then a consultant - who was usually over the border and then be referred to a hospital in England for the lung function tests”

“So as the first two stages can be done in-county, this will cut down on the amount of travel a patient needs to do and, as we have added capacity to the system, we can shorten the time before a patient can be given a consultant appointment.”

The tests are carried out by the patient sitting in the enclosed space with while they breathe into the unit in a variety of ways as guided by the physiologist.

Ms Lewis added: “Patients needn’t worry about being enclosed within the box either as we can leave the door open if they would prefer in most cases. The physiologist who performs the test will always support any patient that we see to achieve the best results for them whilst making the procedure as pleasant as possible.”

The Body Plethysmograph, also known as a Bodybox, can test for a range of lung functions including the resistance or narrowing within the airways and the total amount of air inside the lungs, including the amount of air a patient can breathe in and out.

These are essential tests for the treatment of conditions such as asthma, bronchiectasis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or COPD. They are also requested by other specialities, including cardiology and rheumatology, to check that medications are not affecting the lungs.

Powys Teaching Health Board says it is working on plans to install a second Bodybox unit in the north of the county.