IT IS a simple 30-minute procedure that can help to save lives.

Gone is the need for complicated tests, major surgery and a three-day stay in hospital to find out if a patient has lung cancer.

Now Southampton doctors have a new hi-tech ultrasound probe that makes a diagnosis possible within minutes rather than days.

The innovative device worth £150,000 has arrived at Southampton General Hospital, offering the chance to detect lung cancers more quickly and accurately than ever before.

It is a great addition to the city’s lung cancer service, which was last month ranked among the top five highest-performing centre in England.

Known as an endobronchial ultrasound, the device uses a highly sensitive camera fitted on the end of a telescope probe to examine the chest in detail after being fed in via the mouth.

Once doctors have located small lymph nodes or tissue that requires further investigation, they can direct a biopsy needle into the area and remove a sample within the 30-minute procedure.

Firm diagnosis This sample is then looked at by a pathologist during the test so patients leave the hospital knowing a firm diagnosis has been made, ready to embark on treatment immediately if necessary.

Previously patients who required lymph node testing would have undergone invasive chest surgery under general anaesthetic and faced a three-day admission in hospital for recovery.

It will also save the hospital thousands of pounds by reducing the length of stay patients have to be in hospital for and up to three patients can be seen in one afternoon.

Dr Anindo Banerjee, a consultant in respiratory medicine at Southampton General Hospital, said: “This is a fantastic innovation and important addition to our range of services in Southampton as we are able to offer a responsive, immediate service to patients from all around the region.

“Endobronchial ultrasound allows us to examine small lymph nodes and take tissue samples quickly and easily.

“This speeds up the care of patients with lung cancers and other diseases of the chest who previously might have needed multiple complicated tests to make a diagnosis before treatment could begin.”