I'm a Lancashire doctor and this is why a lung operation I did was seen around the world

Professor Mohammed Munavvar, consultant chest physician at Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (LTH), showed medical teams in 136 countries how to carry out a procedure to assess and treat the gathering of fluid around the lungs.

A keyhole thoracoscopy that he and his team conducted on a consenting patient was filmed by videographers at the hospital before beamed around the world. It was then followed with a live question-and-answer session with Prof Munavvar as part of the “Pulmonology on Air” telecast.

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Many of the countries to which the near 20-year-old procedure was streamed either do not currently conduct it at all or not in the same modified way as the operation is done at the Royal Preston. For that, they will require the latest kit, which it is hoped will be distributed to them in the near future.

When it is, Professor Munavvar’s training could benefit patients the world over, who may have fluid on their lungs for reasons ranging from infection to cancer.

“The teams watching the telecast have seen me and my colleagues performing the procedure, taking them through it step-by-step - and sharing some practical tips and tricks to make the procedure as highly effective and as safe as possible,” the specialist explained.

“With the new scope that we use, there are a number of advantages . Previously, many patients may not have [been given] an accurate early diagnosis - or they might have needed more extensive surgical procedures [subsequently] which required general anaesthesia.

“Now, we relieve their breathlessness by removing the fluid and then, by making an accurate diagnosis, we are able to plan the most effective treatment. All of that [is done] in one step, which takes about half an hour - and the patient usually goes home within 12-24 hours.”

The event – which involved over eight hours of live streaming of procedures from top practitioners around the world - connected three continents, 15 hospitals and more than 20 physicians. Professor Munnavar said it was a great opportunity to showcase the Royal Preston on the global stage.

“A few centres were carefully chosen from around the world and, very fortunately, we were the only one in the UK - to be able to share our experience and knowledge.

“It was also a chance to show the work that happens at the Royal Preston - the endoscopy team and the blended learning team, which filmed everything, working together. Because these things are always a team effort.”