NHS Fife has become the first Health Board in the Scotland to offer a pioneering treatment for enlarged prostate as an outpatient appointment without the need for general anaesthetic.
The Health Board became the first in Scotland to begin using a procedure called Rezum in the treatment of patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) when it was first introduced in Fife in 2020.
The procedure sees small jets of steam injected directly into the prostate to destroy excess tissue. This causes the prostate to shrink over a period of a few weeks and helps relieve the often debilitating symptoms associated with an enlarged prostate.
Unlike more traditional surgical procedures for BPH, Rezum takes less than 20 minutes and patients are able to return home shortly after.
Until recently patients receiving the treatment have required a general anaesthetic. The treatment is now being safely performed under local anaesthetic in Fife, which helps improve patient safety.
The use of local anaesthetic also means the procedure can be carried out as an outpatient appointment within the prostate treatment centre at Queen Margaret Hospital in Dunfermline, freeing up valuable operating theatre time for use by other surgical specialities.
Mr Feras Al Jaafari is a consultant urological surgeon and leads the Rezum programme in Fife. Mr Al Jaafari said: “An enlarged prostate is a common problem experienced by men over 50. It can have a real impact on a person’s quality of life by affecting bladder function, disrupting sleep patterns and increasing the likelihood of urinary tract infections.
“The introduction of Rezum in Fife back in 2020 was in important step forward for us in improving our treatment of the condition. Not only is Rezum much less invasive than traditional surgical options, but it is also more effective than the medicines used to treat enlarged prostate and doesn’t come with the possible side-effects.
“Having the ability to carry out the procedure under local anaesthetic takes us a step-further in our treatment of enlarged prostate. This development is better for patients as it helps reduce the risks associated with general anaesthetic and enables patients to recover more quickly. It also helps us to free-up valuable theatre time at a time when waiting lists for surgery are much longer following the COVID pandemic.”
The latest development sees NHS Fife become the first Board in Scotland to offer the procedure under local anaesthetic. NHS Fife is also leading the way in the UK as the only service currently carrying out the treatment away from the operating theatre.
NHS Fife Medical Director, Dr Christopher McKenna, welcomed the latest innovation pioneered by the urology service in Fife. Dr McKenna said: “We are continually working to make our services as safe as they can possibly be. By carrying out procedures under local anaesthetic helps us improve patient safety, while also enables patients to recover more quickly, and often get home sooner, than they otherwise would.
“An added benefit is that the procedure can be safely carried out within our prostate treatment centre, meaning that our operating theatres can be used for other patients to help reduce waiting times across different specialities.”
Dr McKenna added: “It is vitally important that we continue to innovate and adapt our services to meet the needs of our population. The unique setup at Queen Margaret, and our investment in day surgery services there, means that the hospital is at the forefront of these efforts. Indeed, this latest innovation is another example of where our highly skilled and forward-thinking clinical teams are utilising technology to help improve the quality of services we can provide for patients in Fife.”
