4 NHS considerations

4 NHS considerations

System impact

4.1 The company presented a number of claimed system benefits for XprESS; see section 2.4 for details.

Committee considerations

4.2 The committee accepted expert advice that in the NHS, XprESS is easier than functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS) as an outpatient procedure. Its use may increase patient throughput and allow for earlier disease treatment.

4.3 The committee was advised by experts that adopting XprESS involves a learning curve. Because of this, the procedure should first be done in an operating theatre using general anaesthetic before moving to an outpatient setting. The experts added that there has been resistance to switching to balloon dilatation in UK clinical practice because of the price of the technology and a lack of familiarity with the new technique.

  • National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE)