Funds buy new machine
A NEW machine for Toowoomba Hospital’s physiotherapy department means prostate cancer patients will have better outcomes post-surgery.
Worth about $8000, the real time ultrasound machine was bought through funds raised at a Mater Dei Primary School golf day. It will assist men accessing outpatient services who have been treated for prostate cancer with a radical prostatectomy.
Acting director of physiotherapy Corey Pendlebury said the machine was highly accurate and included dozens of features allowing them to image the pelvic floor and better educate the patient.
“Up until now we had an older, outdated machine,” he said.
“The visual feedback on it was relatively poor. So this one is far more accurate, far easier for them to see what is going on and then it’s easier to use and train patients with.”
Mr Pendlebury said without the new machine they would almost be guessing in the way they were assessing and training patients.
“We are training them in pelvic floor activation which will help them improve their urinary incontinence and absolutely speed up their recovery after surgery,” he said.
Mater Dei Primary School P and F vice president Andrew Edwards said he was happy to raise money for the Toowoomba Hospital Foundation.
“We have been organising golf days for the last couple of years, for some Mater Dei dads to have some fun,” he said.
“But along the way, through the help of our sponsors, we raise some money for much-needed equipment here.”