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Smart Radiotherapy Devices to Provide Better Cancer Treatment
The rise in a number of people suffering from cancer along with the increasing investment in healthcare has resulted in new diagnostics and treatment options. Innovation in technologies such as imaging technologies, linear accelerators and diagnostic devices have made the radiotherapy treatment highly effective. However, to introduce more cost-effective and better treatments, radiotherapy device manufacturers are using software solutions and are also combining technologies to improve outcome and provide better patient care.
Companies are working towards introducing cost-effective solutions. While researchers are studying the various mode of treatment that will offer the best outcome. Researchers are trying to reach the point where it will be easy to suggest particular treatment for the specific type of cancer.
According to the latest report by Future Market Insights (FMI), North America radiotherapy device market is anticipated to gain 34% market share between 2017 and 2027. While Western Europe is expected to have 30% market share by the end of 2027. The North America market is projected to exceed $3,500 million market valuation by 2027 end. By the end of 2027, Western Europe is estimated to exceed $3,100 market value. Radiotherapy device market is a well-structured market and poses a good opportunity for growth. As the market is governed by strict regulations such as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Medical Device Regulatory Approval Process and more such regulations in different countries.
New technologies to drive demand for radiotherapy devices
New devices made using innovative technologies are gaining popularity among healthcare providers and patients. However, more research is being conducted to validate these devices before being used. For instance, IsoRay, a medical technology company has received a response from FDA for its GammaTile radiation therapy system. FDA has asked the company to submit additional data to secure clearance for GammaTile device. According to the company, additional testing of the device is expected to be completed by 2017 end. Once the clearance is received, GammaTile device will be able to address the need for the treatment of recurrent brain tumors. In the clinical trials, around 80 patients have been treated using the GammaTile device.
Elekta, an equipment and software provider to improve cancer and brain disorders, along with clinicians developed Venezia, an advanced gynecological applicator to be used in the treatment of advanced stage cervical cancer.
Next-gen MRI guided radiation therapy device
FDA recently approved ViewRay’s MRIdian Linac system, the first kind of device combining MRI guidance along with linear accelerator radiation. This device helps to visualize the movement of tumors and organs in real time during radiation treatment. The new device can be used to plan treatment during radiation procedures. The device uses magnetic resonance imaging to differentiate between different types of tissue while delivering more radiation to the tumor than to the surrounding tissue.
Governments of various countries are also allocating budget for cancer research and treatment. This is resulting in the development of new radiotherapy devices using advanced technology. This is also leading to the development of cost-effective solutions with enhanced treatment capabilities.
Original Source: http://www.editiontruth.com/smart-radiotherapy-devices-provide-better-cancer-treatment/
Original Author: Abhishek Bhudoliya
Original Date: Sept 13 2017
Replacement Parts for Medical Equipment
Many different types of medical items are used on a large scale. It is important to keep these medical devices in good condition. There are many companies that sell refurbished medical equipment along with replacement parts that are commonly needed during times of failure. These companies help make sure that users can continue to use them with ease and that they remain safe from problems. It is important to choose a reputable and reliable dealer in order to get linear accelerator and radiation oncology replacement parts.
Components to repair and maintain other types of medical equipment are also available from these companies often along with a number of other medical supplies to choose from. Medical facilities should work directly with suppliers of replacement parts for medical equipment. This helps to ensure that they have access to parts and services when and if a piece of equipment fails.
Many companies have online modes that are helpful in making selections of the types of things that are needed to fix and maintain medical equipment, including linear accelerators and other types of radiation oncology equipment.
- There are a number of companies that work to provide replacement parts for medical equipment however only a few of them specialize in providing high quality, user friendly, low cost parts and support for linear accelerators and various types of radiation equipment.
- When you are using medical equipment on a daily basis it is important that you set up a service schedule that helps to maintain them to ensure that they run for an extended period of time.
- Servicing of medical equipment is needed on a regular basis to keep the equipment ready for use, safe from germs, and maintained. Professional medical service technicians can ensure that your equipment is in proper working order.
- Medical equipment can be quite costly to repair therefore it is better to keep equipment in proper working order and maintained to prevent it from needing to be repaired.
- It is not necessary to purchase new radiation equipment just because the older equipment has problems. Most of the time simple tweaks and upgrades can allow an older piece of machine to run that service technicians can easily perform allowing the machine to run like new again.
Facilities can use radiation oncology replacement parts in order to make sure that your machines can work normally. These types of parts are high in demand and used on a large scale in medical field. There are many makers of these types of parts in the medical field. These offers are helpful in making selection for the best dealer.
Service providers can compare offers from makers of these things and get the desired things from your chosen dealer. Online websites allow medical facilities to compare the items at any time and place order to get them. They can check payment options on internet through which you can get the desired things at the desired places with special discounts.
Learn more about Radparts and the variety of services and parts they offer to repair medical equipment including: linear accelerators parts, CT scanners parts, linac parts, and radiation oncology equipment at www.radparts.com. To contact one of our medical equipment repair specialists for parts or service call toll free 877.704.3838 for 24/7/365 support.
The World’s Largest and Most Powerful X-Ray Laser Just Went Online
The European XFEL is now online. Built to be the world’s largest facility to house the most powerful x-ray lasers that can be produced, the XFEL would contribute to a better understanding of molecular and chemical process by imaging particles.
Faster Imaging
The latest combined project by European nations is now online. It’s called the European X-Ray Free Electron Laser, or XFEL for short, and it’s now the largest and most powerful x-ray laser imaging instrument in the world, stretching some 3.4 kilometers (2.11 miles) long and 40 meters (11.15 feet) underneath the German city of Hamburg and a nearby town called Schenefeld.
The XFEL project began in 2007, with 11 nations partnering to make it a reality. After almost a decade of work and more than a billion euros spent, it’s now ready to contribute to the world of scientific research.
“It’s a fantastic and exciting day for us to open the European XFEL for operation after more than eight years of construction,” Robert Feidenhans’l, the facility’s managing director, said at Friday’s inauguration ceremony, the BBC reports. “I now declare we are ready to take data; we are ready to meet the challenge of getting groundbreaking results.”
The superconducting linear accelerator housed in the underground tunnel is meant to run accelerated electrons to almost light-speed. These then pass through a slalom (or sloping) course of magnets called undulators where, as the electrons bend and turn, they emit flashes of X-rays. The XFEL generates these extremely bright and ultrashort pulses of light at a rate of up to 27,000 pulses per second, which is 200 times faster than other x-ray lasers — a billion times faster than light generated by synchrotrons.
Molecular Snapshots
The European XFEL’s primary purpose is to help study particulate matter. For example, it can be used to map the three-dimensional structures of biomolecules and other biological nanoparticles. The idea is to capture them during the process, as they occur, whilst these samples speed through the facility. The XFEL can deliver trillions (1,000,000,000,000) of X-ray photons in one pulse that lasts just about 50 femtoseconds (0.000,000,000,000,05 sec), for each of its 27,000 pulses per second.
Using an advanced camera called the Large Pixel Detector (LPD), installed as part of the XFEL by British engineers, it would allow researchers to capture molecular snapshots like never before. The cameras have a frame rate of 4.5MHz — 4.5 million pictures per second. Furthermore, each single image can be put together to create a “molecular movie” that details biochemical and chemical reactions in progress.
“The LPD captures the pattern of the X-rays after they’ve scattered through whatever it is the scientists have put in the beam. Its imaging surface is about half a meter by half a meter,” lead engineer Matthew Hart told the BBC. “It’s something we’ve been working on for 10 years, and it’s incredibly bespoke. It has to run really fast, handle really intense levels of X-rays but at the same time capture very small signals as well; and have very low noise.”
In a press release about the launch, Olaf Scholz, Hamburg city’s mayor had this to say: “With the European XFEL, scientists will forge ahead into unknown worlds and help to find answers to questions facing humanity that will make life on our planet better.” Analyzing atomic structures can, for instance, help in understanding various process involved in diseases. Indeed, the European XFEL could even become an important tool in exploring the world of quantum particles.
Original Source: https://futurism.com/the-worlds-largest-and-most-powerful-x-ray-laser-just-went-online/
Original Author: Dom Galeon
Original Date: Sept 5 2017
Radparts Specials September 2017
Servicing Medical Equipment Using Refurbished Replacement Parts
Are you wondering if it is safe to buy used linear accelerators? Thanks to the unrelenting spirit of radiation technology expert’s linear accelerators continue to maintain their place among the most sophisticated tools in the treatment of cancer. They produce and deliver radiation with the utmost precision and thus are one of the main equipment sources in our fight against cancer. In order to stay within a budget for medical equipment, medical facilities often consider refurbished equipment such as linear accelerators.
A refurbished linear accelerator does not mean that the machine is faulty or ineffective. In fact many times a refurbished linear accelerator is tested more thoroughly then new OEM equipment. A refurbished linear accelerator may have been used, parts replaced but still in pristine conditions. The machine might have been used in one of the largest institution and perhaps it has been sold because they have upgraded theirs or have proceeded with a new machine or option in treatment.
There are many reasons to invest in a refurbished linear accelerator. It allows you to meet the new challenges in treatment without maximizing the budget on a single piece of machinery. This is extremely helpful when opening a center, expanding a facility, bringing new treatments to your hospital, when budgeting is crucial.
Refurbished linear accelerators are pretty much essential so having a back up piece of equipment often pays off in a big way. When your main machinery fails your facility will not stall because you have furnished your facility with a spare refurbished linear accelerator.
When you are able to invest in more machinery your facility may be able to offer more and better treatment. The new refurbished equipment will allow your medical facility to turn into the go-to location for treatment therefore leading to expansion.
Refurbished medical equipment allows facilities to have peace of mind. Reliable equipment that has been tested relentlessly can live up to providing proper treatment to patients. When equipment needs to be maintained hiring a specialized medical equipment service company is important. Many times refurbished components can actually be used to maintain and repair equipment.
Outsourcing medical equipment repairs also saves companies money as they are not required to keep a technician on staff. A reliable repair team that is able to service your machinery as repairs and maintenance are needed remain a part of the crucial aspects of ensuring the prosperity of your facility and the positive results of treatment.
Learn more about Radparts and the variety of services and parts they offer to repair medical equipment including: linear accelerators parts, CT scanners parts, linac parts, and radiation oncology equipment at www.radparts.com. To contact one of our medical equipment repair specialists for parts or service call toll free 877.704.3838 for 24/7/365 support.
Finding Quality Medical Equipment Repair Specialists
As a student practicing medicine or someone who owns a medical clinic you know the costs you have to incur in order to get new equipment. If you keep your equipment regularly maintained it will last longer but that does not mean that there are no chances of things breaking down.
Fortunately, most of the medical equipment can be repaired using the services of technicians. Repairs ranging from oncology equipment replacement parts to Varian replacement parts can be made which means that you do not have to invest in new, expensive equipment. If you are looking to find specialists, this article will help you locate good technicians for your equipment.
Consult Fellow Doctors
As the owner of your clinic, there is a strong chance that you will have a lobby of people who will be experiencing the same routine you are experiencing as a doctor. Suppose you require oncology equipment replacement parts but are not sure where to look but you have a lobby of fellow doctors; you should look no further than them.
Ask around to see if any of them faced an issue with their equipment and you might get to know where they went for repairs. If you go for repairs and give the reference of their regular customer then there is a chance that you might get a discount too, which makes the task a lot more fruitful.
Search Online
These days, online forums are the best places to go if you need reviews about something or wish to know of some services which might be near you. These forums are quite efficient in letting you know where to go and what prices you can expect, so if you have no clue where to start your search from, online forums are your saviors.
In case your needed repairs are very technical like Varian replacement parts, which cannot be found everywhere, these forums prove to be even more effective. The technicians they can hook you up with will most of the times be very professional in their jobs, so the chances for your search to bear fruit will be plenty.
Look for Advertisements
Newspapers and online pamphlets are great ways for technicians to promote themselves and if you are looking for a technician who can provide you with material like oncology equipment replacement parts and can personally install it, there is no harm in contacting him/her through the means specified in the document.
This method has more of a risk associated with the costs involved and the quality of work, in the case of highly specific equipment like Varian replacement parts, because the person you are getting in touch with may not be as efficient as you want him/her to be, but that is where you can use the internet again to question about the service in forums. All in all, there is always a starting step when you are doing something for the first time, so you can only aim for reducing the risk involved, not eliminating it.
Learn more about Radparts and the variety of services and parts they offer to repair medical equipment including: linear accelerators parts, CT scanners parts, linac parts, and radiation oncology equipment at http://radparts.com/services.php. To contact one of our medical equipment repair specialists for parts or service call toll free 877.704.3838 for 24/7/365 support.
Henry Ford treats first patients with MRIdian Linac
ViewRay’s MRIdian Linac received FDA approval in February of this year. Now a team at Henry Ford Cancer Institute has become the first in the world to treat patients with this new MR-guided radiotherapy system.
Henry Ford received the MRIdian linac earlier this year, with ViewRay installing and validating the system from about February to June. Henry Ford began treating patients in July. So far, two cases involved intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) for prostate cancer, and one case involved stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT).
“Once the physicians got a chance to see what they could do with this treatment system, we immediately prepared for using SBRT,” explained Carri Glide-Hurst, director of translational research and senior staff physicist at Henry Ford Cancer Institute.
Carri Glide-Hurst and Anthony Doemer
Initial images
Speaking at the AAPM Annual Meeting in Denver last week, Glide-Hurst described the MRI characterizations performed during commissioning. For example, the team tested magnetic field homogeneity by imaging a 24 cm spherical phantom at the magnet isocentre at multiple gantry angles. Spectral peak analysis revealed that implementing a mean gradient approach improved the homogeneity of the field, with 80% of the data points falling within 5 ppm.
Spatial integrity, assessed using the ViewRay phantom, was less than 2 mm over a 35 cm diameter spherical field-of-view for 90% of the tested points, and less than 1 mm over a 20 cm sphere for all points. The team also developed a large in-house phantom with over 7000 landmarks. They observed that distortion increased moving further from the isocentre, as expected, but was still less than 2 mm at 20 cm away from the isocentre.
Glide-Hurst showed some images recorded from the first prostate patient. In just three minutes, the MRIdian Linac acquired a high-resolution (1.5 mm3) scan over a 45 × 30 × 36 cm field-of-view. The image was fused with the planning CT and used to guide couch shift before treatment. “What’s most exciting to me is the quality of the patient images,” she told the audience.
During treatment, the MRIdian Linac records tracking MR images at 4 frames/s, with a resolution of 3.5 × 3.5 × 7 mm. These images are used to gate the treatment, switching the beam off if the target moves outside of the treatment field. Glide-Hurst pointed out that the image quality is still excellent even while the beam is on. The team plans to incorporate fully adaptive radiotherapy into treatment plans in the near future, she added.
In this first patient, the total treatment delivery time including gantry rotation was 5.4 min. For the SBRT patient, the high-resolution (1.5 mm3) scan took 173 s, and the total treatment delivery time was about 6 min.
Also speaking at AAPM, Anthony Doemer, a senior staff physicist at Henry Ford Cancer Institute, described the commissioning of the MRIdian Linac’s multileaf collimator (MLC). He explained that the system incorporates a completely redesigned collimator: a double-stack MLC with two banks of 8 mm thick doubly focused leaves. This enables the system to generate field sizes from 0.2 × 0.4 cm up to 27.4 × 24.1 cm.
Doemer and colleagues first measured the MLC leakage. IEC specifications require this to be less than 1% over 1 cm with an average transmission of less than 0.375% compared to reference. “The maximum leakage was substantially lower than that, which is great,” said Doemer. They also tested MLC linearity using Sun Nuclear’s IC profiler and a picket fence test. “All measurements easily met TG-142 standards,” he noted.
Other tests included output factor measurements, and percentage depth dose and profile analysis. “We saw really great agreement between point measurements and Monte Carlo values,” said Doemer.
For SBRT, the Henry Ford team used data from previously treated patients (liver, pancreas and prostate) in their database of SBRT cases to evaluate that the system was correctly commissioned. Doemer noted that the system was able to achieve all dose constraints seen in these previous treatments.
“The Henry Ford and ViewRay teams were able to fully validate the beam characteristics of our new linac,” said Doemer. “This gave us a high level of confidence that we are able to treat patients.” The commissioning period was efficient (within four weeks) given the significant effort provided by the Henry Ford physics and ViewRay teams working together.
New indications
One big advantage of the MRIdian Linac is its ability to treat many indications that are difficult to visualize with X-ray-based image guidance. For example, they have now performed two simulations for accelerated partial breast irradiation (APBI). “The physicians are really excited about the potential of reducing APBI margins using MRI guidance,” said Glide-Hurst.
“APBI is another exciting area for us,” added Doemer. “The tracking ability makes it different from anything that we’ve done before.”
With two weeks of treatments now under their belt, the team is currently performing treatment planning for further cases. As well as the APBI simulations, they have now also simulated the first liver and retroperitoneal nodal treatments. “Because of the greatly enhanced MRI visualization, this technology opens significant opportunity for treating liver cancers,” Glide-Hurst told medicalphysicsweb.
Original Source: http://medicalphysicsweb.org/cws/article/research/69653
Original Date: Aug 8 2017
Original Author: Tami Freeman
Servicing Medical Equipment
Medical facilities want top notch equipment with the latest gadgets to assist their patients getting the best treatments and preventative care that they deserve. Having devices such as linear accelerators saves lives and purchasing them from a good company is fundamental. Getting devices which meet industry requirements help to ensure that clinical experts are able to operate them successfully and help them to get the information that they need.
Purchasing the right equipment for diagnosis and treatment requires clinical facilities to spend time and money looking. This machinery has a huge impact on the facility. Dependable devices save time and money. This is so true when it comes to linear accelerators and their use in the treatment of cancer.
The technology used in conventional linear accelerators is essentially the same for all linear accelerators. The high energy generation can be achieved either by implementing the “travelling waveguide technology” or by implementing the “standing waveguide technology”. The first approach is simple and reliable while the second features a more stable treatment beam. The generated radiation beam is flattened and shaped using collimation devices to form a beam matching the shape of the tumour.
The wave guide, the filters, and the collimator are mounted on a gantry which rotates around the patient allowing the tumours to be irradiated from multiple directions. There is a linear accelerators patient coach especially designed to allow irradiation of the patient from multiple direction. However choosing a device that is easy to service is important as well. Get something that many companies are capable of fix and keep in running order as this is extremely important.
Medical diagnostic device make sure that everything is running well and it’s important in ensuring that all equipment is working the way that it is meant to. Having functioning medical devices is one of the most essential matters that any medical facility can do as they provide many essential diagnostic tools to medical professionals.
Linear accelerator service techs are responsible for radiotherapy and associated medical equipment health care facilities all over. This includes supervision of installation, acceptance and responsibility for the maintenance and service of this equipment during its life cycle. The technicians consult with Physicists, Oncologists, Radiologists, Radiation Therapists, Medical Radiation Technologist and Management to determine levels of service and to mitigate downtime.
The tech is involved in equipment acquisition by offering advice on technical and service specifications. This is one of the main reasons that replacement parts for linear accelerators and other radiation oncology equipment are in high demand. When a piece of radiation equipment breaks down it is crucial to the treatment of patients that it is repaired quickly to avoid downtime in patient care.
There are several applications that linear accelerators offer throughout medical facilities including:
- Radiation Treatment For Cancerous Tumours
Linear accelerators are mainly known as the machine that is used in radiation therapy to target cancerous tumours. Linear accelerators accelerate electrons. When they are speeding up, that is when they would be getting the heavy metal target.
- LINAC Treatment
This treatment is similar to the laser technique which is used in a wide variety of cosmetic treatments. This ensures that the healthy cells and issues around the area where it is focused are not destroyed as well.
- MRI
Linear accelerators are also used in MRI tests. In this test, the scanning of the different body parts is conducted in order to find out whether there is any problem with these body parts.
Learn more about Radparts and the variety of services and parts they offer to repair medical equipment including: linear accelerators parts, CT scanners parts, linac parts, and radiation oncology equipment at http://radparts.com/services.php. To contact one of our medical equipment repair specialists for parts or service call toll free 877.704.3838 for 24/7/365 support.
Radparts Specials August 2017
