Tag: refurbished linear accelerators - page 6

Should You Repair It or Replace It: LINAC Systems

Posted on February 7, 2018 by Creative Programs and Systems

LINAC, linear accelerators, are an essential part of treating tumors and destroying cancer cells in people, while leaving the normal tissue alone. While this is an effective treatment for specific types of cancers, as the machines have built-in safety measures that only deliver the required dosage, they can also start to fail over time. When the system fails you will question whether you should continue to repair it or if it is time to replace it.

The Importance Of Regular Maintenance

It’s up to the medical physicist to ensure that their clinic or hospital’s LINAC system is functioning properly. If there is any doubt, repairing or replacing medical equipment may be required. It’s important that all patients who’ve been scheduled for radiation therapy are assured of safe and accurate treatment. They need to also be assured of timely treatment, with few delays. Treatment is more specialized and intricate with linear accelerators. It’s very important to keep to regular servicing LINAC systems.

Servicing linear accelerators is a specialty that is best left to the professionals. There are many safety checks in place. The LINAC itself may present warnings that it’s due for servicing LINAC systems. When warnings are present it is important to see what needs to be repaired and to see if repairing it or replacing it with a refurbished linear accelerator is the best choice.

Keeping Machine Functionality Effective

There are a wide range of professionals who use this equipment to help patients. The medical physicist and the dosimetrist will determine the exact prescribed dosage, and calculate the right amount of time for that dosage. The oncologist will be prescribing the volume and dosage. It’s important to have a functioning system so that there are not additional problems and that the patient receives effective treatment. Linear accelerator maintenance is also a part of the process to keep your LINAC systems working well. If the technician finds something wrong with the system, they will advise of fixing it or replacement.

Patient safety is also of paramount important. The radiation treatment plan is double-checked, with several steps and quality-assured procedures so that the treatment is delivered exactly. Following all these steps, the machine should not deliver a higher dosage than prescribed.

Today’s modern linear accelerators also have an internal checking system that keeps the machine from being turned on unless all the prescribed requirements have been fulfilled. If for some reason you are initiating treatment with the patient, but the machine refusing to turn on, it’s may be time for servicing LINAC systems or replacement.

Ensuring Specific Parts Like Beam Position

During treatment, the radiation therapist will be continuing to observe the patient with a closed-circuit television monitor. There is also a microphone in the treatment room so the patient can speak to the radiation therapist if required. Just some of the items that are checked during this process include the port films or x-ray that are taken with the treatment beam, and the cone beam CT. This ensures that the beam position doesn’t change from the original plan. It’s important for servicing linear accelerators to ensure that these safeties stay in place. If they fail, it could be time for a replacement.

Acceletronics is an independent service company dedicated to delivering the best equipment performance and service reliability from Linear Accelerators and CT Scanners across all major brands and models. Learn more about Acceletronics and their selection of new and refurbished linear accelerators and CT scanners today at http://www.acceletronics.com. To contact one of our LINAC experts call 610.524.3300.

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Purchasing Quality Medical Equipment

Posted on January 24, 2018 by Creative Programs and Systems

A linear accelerator, LINAC, is a device that accelerates charged particles along a straight linear path of metal tubes at periodic intervals through a process known as electrostatic acceleration. This medical device is used by a radiation oncologist who in addition to consulting with patients and planning treatment sessions, also harness the therapeutic properties of radiation to treat or/and cure cancer using customized high energy x-rays to destroy cancer cells without destroying the rest of the surrounding healthy tissue.

Proper Care Of Your Equipment

Technological advancements have gradually made it easy and painless in curing patients of cancer through radiation that is delivered using a linear accelerator. This is why regular preventive maintenance, quality assurance inspections, installation, testing, calibration, troubleshooting, repair and general maintenance of a LINAC is very important to ensure that the radiation concentration is even across the beam and that the device is in good working order at all times.

It takes time and extensive research, a healthy budget, planning, an understanding of your clinical goals and a commitment to quality care when planning to buy a linear accelerator that will provide patients with quality, timely and uninterrupted treatment options. Additional LINAC system costs and services will also include the following:

Warranty, service, and maintenance
24/7 repair solutions tailored to your equipment needs
Redundant engineering solutions when the main engineer is not available
Around the clock rapid response computer-aided dispatching system
Machine uptime guarantee that ensures that there are no downtimes
On-demand parts and fast replacement of defective components for linear accelerators
Proper equipment removal and disposal
Relocation services of an existing linear accelerator
LINAC system costs will also include a keen project planning and logistics support
Power conditioners and patient positioning

Variation In Costs

There are a variety of linear accelerator systems to choose from and in addition to being budget conscious and selecting the right machine, LINAC system costs will also largely depend on the upgrades and features of each system, country of installation, adequate site planning, timeline, pre and post-installation equipment support.

A pre-owned linear accelerator such as a Basic Varian 600CD/6EX can be purchased for around $175,000 to $300,000. However, if you want a LINAC with newer systems such as the Varian TrueBeam, Elekta Versa HD, or the Cyberknife VSI and M6 prepare a healthy budget of around $750,000 to $1.5M. When you want to get the most from your existing equipment is also important to bear in mind other LINAC system costs for its accessories such as positioning lasers, treatment couch upgrades, water chillers, power conditioners, to mention a few.

Additional LINAC Services That Are Offered

There are also recognized professionals that offer LINAC services such as equipment assessments and appraisals for a fee to oncologists who are either looking to expand or close down their clinics, who want to secure funding from lenders, those that need to consolidate their debts, for insurance purposes, or simply to sell their equipment. These are just a few of the LINAC system costs that those in radiation therapy and diagnostic imaging line of work should consider.

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Everything You Need To Know About Cancer Treatment Using LINAC Systems

Posted on January 17, 2018 by Creative Programs and Systems

Whether you’re a cancer patient or a physician or manager of a medical clinic or hospital, you can benefit from knowing more about LINAC systems and LINAC services. LINAC system costs may be right for your clinic or hospital purchasing a machine for patient treatment.

What Is A LINAC?

A LINAC is basically a cancer treatment radiology machine. The patient lies down on a platform where their pertinent body part is displayed under a bright light at the top. The system is turned on and provides radiology to that specific region in the body suffering from cancerous tumors. Radiology is often a much gentler and safer form of treatment than chemotherapy. LINAC services are much quicker and enable the patient to return to their daily lives quickly, rather than requiring all day spent at the clinic.

LINAC stands for “linear accelerator”. If you’ve been evaluating LINAC system costs for your clinic, you’ll want to learn more about how it can benefit your cancer patients. LINAC provides high energy x-rays and electrons that can actually conform to a specific tumor’s shape. Its purpose is to destroy cancerous cells on a specific part of the body. It does not touch or affect healthy and normal cells or tissue. This treatment is done by an external beam of radiation.

How It Works

LINAC services can treat a wide variety of tumors on all parts of the body through a variety of usual cancer treatment techniques. The equipment runs with special microwave technology. This is similar tech that’s used for radar. The microwaves will accelerate electrons in a accelerator which is called a wave guide. The electrons will collide with a heavy metal that creates high-energy x-rays. But instead of being used to record onto a film, they are targeting a patient’s cancer cells. The x-rays are directed straight to a tumor.

LINAC services have additional benefits. This machine has many built-in safety features that only allow it to deliver a specific dose and never more. LINAC services are run by a qualified medical physician. At regular intervals during patient treatment they will ensure that it’s working smoothly and routinely check it.

Patients are evaluated for LINAC services by visiting their radiation oncologist first. The oncologist will then meet with the radiation dosimetrist and the medical physicist to create a unique treatment plan that fits that patient. Next, your own medical doctor will go over this treatment plan and share it with you. Finally, quality assurance procedures will be created to ensure that you receive the exact treatment both effectively and in a timely manner.

Safe and Effective Benefits

LINAC services are safe for oncologists and radiologists to operate, and to be used on patients. The equipment only emits radiation when it has been turned on. There is little risk of accidental exposure. The benefits are huge when gauging LINAC system costs for your clinic or hospital. This cancer treatment has been proven to be both effective and safe for the cancer patient, and is worth considering for your medical or health location.

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Servicing LINAC Systems

Posted on January 3, 2018 by Creative Programs and Systems

Cancer is one of the most awful diseases in the world. It is a disease that destroys millions of lives every year throughout the world. Experts in medical science are making a great effort from a long time to find appropriate treatment solution for this disease. Thanks to modern technologies and the recent treatments, it is now possible to find success in combating advanced stages of cancer. Linear Accelerator (LINAC) Systems are gaining popularity as radiology has shown some positive results for the treatment of cancer.

Keeping Equipment Maintained

If you are providing cancer treatment services at your clinic it is very important to keep your LINAC system in working condition all the time so that your patients can receive the right treatment at your facility. This is one of the many reasons medical facilities are encouraged to hire service engineers from reputable sources when maintaining and fixing radiation oncology equipment within your facility.

LINAC machines are made of a variety of components and each one of them has a unique functionality. It is important to maintain them to ensure high performance for all tests. When any of these parts fails to operate, they force the entire machine to stop working. Then you may have to spend more on major repair and replacements. Also, such failures cause long downtime and it may affect the reputation of your facility. In order to stay safe from loss of revenue, reputation, and more it is important to call for a LINAC repair/service team from time to time to ensure routine checkups of your machinery so that it can stay tuned to good health.

Here are few tips for choosing right service company for your LINAC systems:

Check available solutions:

In order to ensure that your LINAC system stays in safe hands, look for companies with a long-lasting reputation within the medical service industry. It is important to check their service policy and ensure their 24/7 availability if equipment needs immediate repairs above and beyond routine maintenance. It is crucial to employ trained professionals with years of experience in this field. Ask for recommendations on servicing from sellers of LINAC Systems and other radiation therapy machines.

Go through their websites:

As soon as you have prepared the list of best companies, it is time to visit their official websites and look at how long they have been in this business, their reputation, machines that they are certified to service, and more. The company’s websites will provide you details about their experience, qualifications, and quality of work. This information is essential to narrow down your selection. You can also communicate with them via website based chat support, phone, or email to ask questions and get to know more about the quality of service they offer.

Check reviews:

The next important task is to check what other people around the world say about them. You should check customer reviews about your shortlisted companies to know if people are satisfied with their services or not. If you find more negative reviews about the company, it is good to look for other option for LINAC services.

Don’t compromise quality for the price:

Quality vs Cheap Price

While selecting the right LINAC system repair service provider, it is good to look for a quality service provider over instead of price. It is not good to take a risk with the cheap repair services; the best idea is to look for experienced and professional service providers.

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The Process of Refurbishing Large Scaled Medical Equipment

Posted on December 27, 2017 by Creative Programs and Systems - Updated December 22, 2017

Smart pacemakers, insulin pumps, x-ray machines, drug infusion pumps, gamma cameras, and a linear accelerator (LINAC) are just some of the many medical devices and equipment used for a variety of clinical applications including oncology, cardiology, neurology, and others for general imaging.

In most cases, in order to ensure the highest patient satisfaction and system uptime large scaled medical equipment are fortified with remote service capabilities for a full remote access and diagnosis to ensure that small problems do not turn into big downtime. This level of pre-emptive monitoring and trending of key performance indicators have come in ensuring an interruption-free imaging, detection efficiency, and patient evaluations.

Needing Repair/ Upgrades

Large scaled medical equipment such as a linear accelerator are complicated devices that contains hundreds, if not thousands of parts that play a cohesive role to safely generate beams of radiation that kill cancer and save human lives. Irreparable damage to any of these vital parts of a linear accelerator (an upgrade itself) would cost a hospital thousands of dollars, not forgetting that the medical equipment weighs several thousand pounds and the cost of having it professionally and safely dismantled, removed and properly disposed of can, needless to say, be unspeakable.

Using a Professional Tech

Before any large scaled medical equipment can reach a zero market value, it is important to work with reputable and professional linear accelerator technicians who by rights, go through a rigorous five-step procedure to make ensure the installation of the replaced parts are ready for use again in a refurbished linear accelerator and at a bundled discounts on software and other accessories.

The main components of a linear accelerator include the gantry, the stand, the modulator cabinet, control console, and the treatment couch – each with critical components within it that has undergone rigorous testing to ensure optimal performance. When it comes to refurbished linear devices, only independent refurbishment companies can provide a full beam testing.

Roles of a Technician

Biomedical equipment technician with a Bachelors’ degree in electrical or mechanical engineering will typically perform the following roles when refurbishing a linear accelerator:

Provide preventive maintenance scheduling and responding to down machines
A technician can assist in the design and modification of treatment accessories
Ensure that each damaged piece of a linear accelerator undergoes thorough testing
Maintain inventory and order parts for linear accelerators
Organize vendor service and documentation
Carry out an assembly, functional testing and replace parts as needed
Assess the uniformity, balance and dosimetry system of the dose output
Carry out a cosmetic assessment process of the patient couch and whether it needs to be professionally covered with OEM textured paint
He or she will carry out a 17 point pre-shipment check list and inventory
Arrange transportation if necessary
Conduct operational checks and adjustments in order to ensure that the linear accelerator meets all the original equipment manufacturers (OEM) specifications

Operating a linear accelerator with a decent-sized patient load is ideally what any doctor wants. Regular maintenance and repairs can be a great solution.

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Popular Options for Treating Cancer

Posted on December 19, 2017 by Creative Programs and Systems

Cancer is the second leading cause of death, morbidity, and mortality worldwide and was responsible for 8.8 million deaths in 2015. Staying away from tobacco and alcohol, limiting time in the sun, being physically active and eating healthy foods has been credited with reducing the risk of developing most types of cancers. There are also various screening tests that can be done for some types of cancers so they can be found as early as possible and before they have spread.

Effective Treatments

Significant improvements can be made by detecting cancer early and avoiding delays in care. This can be achieved through early diagnosis, which consists of clinical evaluation, diagnosis, staging, and access to care. There are also screening programs such as visual inspection for cervical cancer, mammography screening for breast cancer, or HPV testing for cervical cancer that aim to identify individuals with abnormalities suggestive of specific cancers.

Common types of cancers, like breast cancer, oral, and colorectal, cervical cancer have increased cure rates when caught and treated early. There are also vaccines that have proven useful in treating cancers that are caused by viruses such as the human papilloma virus (HPV).

Medical equipment such as the linear accelerator machine has the ability to deliver another type of cancer treatment using intensity modulated radiation therapy. Linear accelerator machines use excessive energy x-ray, commonly known as microwave technology, fit to the tumor’s shape to destroy cancer cells while protecting the surrounding healthy tissue.

This next point is geared toward addressing various safety concerns of patients that come with using this medical equipment. It doesn’t matter whether the linear accelerator machine is new or a refurbished LINAC system because, in the hands of a competent radiation oncologist, patients can expect to receive the appropriate treatment volume and dosage.

Proper Testing an Maintenance

Doctors who work with linear accelerator machines also perform consistent safety checks before treatment is given and the regular maintenance of the equipment is not only to alleviate the delivery of a higher dose than the radiation oncologist has prescribed but also to ensure that any malfunctions during the treatment process never occurs.

A new or refurbished LINAC system will make clicking or whirring sounds similar to a vacuum cleaner, which may scare patients. The radiation therapist controls the movement and checks to ensure that the equipment is working properly and he or she is there to stop the machine if by any chance a patient is concerned about anything that is happening in the treatment room or feels uncomfortable during the treatment.

Quality Treatment

Continual improvement of medical imaging equipment is important, especially when a medical practitioner wants to benefit his practice in both patient quality care and staff productivity. Not only have new technological advances in radiation therapy made life easier for cancer patients, but ongoing investment in new technology is now making treatments quicker, accurate and effective, therefore making this form of therapy a popular option for treating cancer and reducing its recurrence.

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Should You Repair or Replace Medical Equipment?

Posted on December 14, 2017 by Creative Programs and Systems

For hospitals and medical equipment owners, the dilemma of whether to repair or replace faulty medical equipment can be a headache. When it comes to oncology equipment components and parts are important to be in top-notch condition so that there is no discrepancy left in treating patients with these important medical devices.

If you are someone who is finding it hard to whether replace or repair the components of your LINAC, then we are here to help you decide.

Take A Look At the History

First, consider the equipment’s past. According to Healthcare Finance, one of the many things to look for when deciding between repairing and replacing is considering the equipment’s past. Since you have been operating the equipment for long, you should have a good idea of how it had been in the past. Has it had to be repaired, just once in a blue moon or is this first time that it needs to be repaired. If the equipment has needed to be constantly repaired or seems to be failing more and more often than maybe it is time that it is replaced.

Then leverage the costs between repairing the equipment constantly and buying a new machine. You may find that repairing then equipment costs more than purchasing a new one. This fact holds true especially for the components that have been used for a long time. You should compare the costs of the new equipment and the cost of repairing and then reach a decision.

Also look at the performance of the devices. Has it been performing well? Has it been breaking down? Too often, a broken device does not work properly even after it is repaired. Thus, in this situation, changing it or only the part which had been repaired becomes imperative. You shouldn’t resort to the faulty performance of the instrument just because it costs less.

What do manufacturers say about this?

You shouldn’t replace any equipment just because of a tiny fault for that is going to increase the burden on your pocket. However, when it comes to the following considerations, manufacturers prefer complete replacement.

Innovation in technology is happening every day. There are many parts of LINAC which are improved for better performance. The advance linear accelerators of today have better functionality and reduced breaking frequency. Also, the fact cannot be ignored that some patients prefer to be treated with new and innovative equipment rather than the ones that had been made years ago. Considering this, it becomes important to think about replacing the medical equipment so that treatments are carried out in a better way.

Obtaining peace of mind is an important element for patients and medical facilities. Evaluating the right price of repairing can be very hard. Before you call a repairer, you should consider how long the equipment would go further in the future after the repair. As you can see this whole process just takes away the peace of mind, replacing the equipment is a better option. Most medical equipment comes with a warranty as you might know. This means that you can expect no burdens of repairing for a long time to come.

Look At Your Finances

If we were to give you a clear-cut verdict on whether you should change or repair your linear accelerator parts or LINAC parts, then we’d say that considering all the factors above, it solely depends upon the state of your company’s finance at the time the machine broke down.

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How Do Linear Accelerators & CT Scanners Work In Cancer Treatment?

Posted on December 1, 2017 by Creative Programs and Systems - Updated November 29, 2017

Cancerous cells in the body grow and divide rapidly. Faster in fact than ordinary treatment machines can handle. The level of growth in cancer cells is in high proportion compared to the growth of healthy cells around the same area. The cancerous cells are developing quickly and in no time at all will turn into tumors causing excruciating pains and discomfort to the patient. For this reason, a special treatment machine, a linear accelerator, is needed to stem the advancement of the cancer cell and protect healthy cells from fallen victims during treatment. This radiation equipment is often referred to as LINAC systems and work with CT scanners to treat and detect areas of the body affected by cancer cells.

Targeting Cancer

Linear accelerators & CT scanners use a focused beam of energy to destroy cancerous cells while avoiding healthy tissues in surrounding areas from damage. The machine aims at delivering targeted treatment through the generation of energy-intensive beams delivered from different angles to focus on the parts affected by the tumor to pass a precision quantity of radiation energy to treat cancer patients.

Before commencing treatment with linear accelerators, the treatment plan will involve different types of 3-D scans of the body such as CT scanners, PET scan or MRI. These scans and some other test results conducted by the radiation oncologist and a team of treatment experts will determine the best technique suitable for each case.

How Cancer Treatments Work

Linear accelerators or LINAC works by using image-guided radiotherapy (IGRT) which involves applying a variety of digital imaging technology to locate the exact location of the tumor in the patient’s body and target the area for treatment. This advanced, precision-driven radiation therapy is used worldwide to battle the scourge of cancers globally. The exciting part of this equipment is its ability to locate and treat a dynamic ailment as cancer which is known to shift from time to time, and therefore LINAC uses powerful precision target radiation beam energy to pinpoint the exact location of a tumor and destroys it with minimal damage to healthy cells.

Linear accelerators use photons (X-rays) to deliver IGRT radiation. The machine is about 15 feet long and stands nearly nine feet tall which rotates around the patient with great precision. LINAC uses microwave energy, just like what is used in satellite TV transmission to accelerate electrons at almost the speed of light. Upon getting to the highest rate, the electrons collide with a tungsten target and releases photons.

3 Steps Of Treatment

Cancer treatment involves three steps: diagnosis, treatment planning, and treatment delivery. The starting stage – diagnosis, uses the CT scanners to pinpoint the exact location of the tumor, the planning stage is using simulation to confirm the precise location of the cancer cells further because it will require radiation beam for treatment and it is essential to avoid killing healthy cells. Once the cancer cells are localized, the radiation treatment plan is concluded, and treatment delivery will commence.

Treatment delivery is a highly coordinated effort to ensure maximum impact. It could be 5 days per week schedule which may last for nine weeks or so. Due to the seriousness and highly sensitive nature of cancer treatment, using linear accelerators require intensive treatment preparations involving CT scanners and other diagnostic tools to ascertain the exact position of cancer cells before delivering the therapy.

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Purchasing Refurbished Medical Equipment

Posted on November 15, 2017 by Creative Programs and Systems

The purchase of refurbished equipment is now becoming a standard practice in the healthcare industry. With limited money, companies look at this option as a cost-reducing alternative to purchasing new equipment. However, buying used or refurbished medical devices isn’t essentially a sacrifice on quality. In reality, the only major variations between latest and used medical devices are the price and the amount of time you’ve got to invest so as to hunt down a decent deal. When buying refurbished medical devices, you will be spared in around half of the price than compared to buying a new one. Pay for a brand new by buying refurbished instrumentality compared to purchasing it latest. Purchasing refurbished medical devices is extremely common among doctors establishing small practices.

How Refurbished Can Help

For every piece of the latest apparatus that’s accessible to you in the market, you may be able to find something similar that is used, at a reduced value. These devices may range from refurbished IV poles to refurbished ultrasound machines, refurbished CT scanners to refurbished linear accelerators. Refurbished medical devices are pieces of equipment that virtually have been restored back to their brand-new condition, by highly skilled medical technicians, before being discharged back to the market. This means that whatever required fixing gets fixed, all used up previous components get replaced and, therefore, the refurbished devices can work just as well as other comparable new pieces of apparatus. If you opt for a refurbished medical instrument, you will realize that you can get a high-end device that is as functional and durable as its brand-new counterpart, for half the price.

Look Into Warranties

The best thing about buying brand new medical devices is that you’ve got the benefit of knowing precisely what you’re paying for. Moreover, brand-new medical instruments additionally come with a factory warranty and, therefore, it makes you feel certain that the device will perform in a proper way for at least the mentioned amount of time. To counter this presumed disadvantage, look for warranties when purchasing refurbished equipment. This can involve doing a little research and taking a closer look at a number of the dealers since all refurbished medical instrument companies have their own policies on warranties and guarantees.

Taking The Extra Time to Research Will Be Worth It

However, if the additional time doing the research is worth the cash you save, shopping for refurbished medical equipment for your practice is definitely worthwhile. Although, before buying any refurbished device, always perform a background check on the company selling the refurbished devices before you make your final purchase. Gather information about their services and standards of quality and most importantly check out their client reviews.

Acceletronics is an independent refurbishment service providing company dedicated to delivering the best equipment performance and service reliability. From linear accelerators to CT scanners of all major brands and models, we provide complete and timely maintenance services for all medical equipment. Moreover, we can provide you with turnkey refurbished linear accelerators, refurbished CT scanners and other refurbished medical equipment, along with a proper warranty period for them without compromising on quality, in the most reasonable and affordable of prices. Therefore, if you are looking for maintenance services for medical devices or refurbished medical equipment anywhere across the US, we are your one stop shop. Learn more about Acceletronics and their selection of new and refurbished linear accelerators and CT scanners today at http://www.acceletronics.com. To contact one of our LINAC experts call 610.524.3300.

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In Depth Look Into LINAC Systems

Posted on November 8, 2017 by Creative Programs and Systems

A linear accelerator (LINAC) is a device, which functions by customizing high energy x-rays or electrons, so as to conform to a tumor’s shape, destroy cancer cells and spare surrounding normal tissue. This improvement incorporates a lot of built-in safety measures to ascertain that higher dose than prescribed will not be delivered. Besides, there are routine checks that are usually carried out on this equipment by a certified medical physicist to confirm its proper working.

When a patient is scheduled for radiation therapy via LINAC, a radiation oncologist will work in conjunction with both a radiation dosimetrist and a medical physicist to get a treatment plan develop for him or her. This treatment plan is usually double checked by a doctor prior to treatment in order to sustain quality assurance procedures.

What is a LINAC used for?

A linear accelerator (LINAC) is a device which is often used for the treatment of external beam radiation for cancer patients. All parts or organs of the body is indicated with the LINAC as it delivers high energy x-rays or electrons to the location of the tumor in the patient’s body. LINAC ensures treatment by destroying the cancer cells and spares the surrounding normal tissue. All body sites can be treated via LINAC, using conventional techniques and other therapies like Stereotactic Body Radio Therapy (SBRT), Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy (VMAT), Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT), Image Guided Radiation Therapy (IGRT) and Stereotactic

How LINAC systems work?

A linear accelerator employs micro wave technology for accelerating electrons in the wave guide a part of the accelerator. It achieves this by allowing collusion between these electrons and a heavy metal. The target is to produce high energy x-rays.

As the x-rays exit from the linear accelerator, they are made to conform to the shape of the patient’s tumor. The customized beam, which is incorporated into the head of the machine, is then directed to the tumor.

At this point, the patient is positioned on a moveable treatment couch while the beam diffuses from the gantry (a part of the linear accelerator) and it is being made to rotate round the patient. From any angle, the tumor can receive radiation when the gantry is rotated and the treatment couch is moved.

LINAC and Safety

There are several ways of ensuring a patient’s safety while using this equipment. Prior to treating a patient, the radiation oncologist in conjunction with the radiation dosimetrist and medical physicist develop and approve a treatment plan.

Having double checked this treatment plan, treatments and quality assurance procedures are carried out to ensure that the treatment will be delivered as planned. It is highly essential to ensure quality assurance of the accelerator. It contains several built-in systems which ensure that it does not deliver a higher dose than the one prescribed.

As a safety measure, the radiation therapist inspects the machine every morning and ensures uniform radiation intensity across the beam. Besides, a more detailed and annual checks of the linear accelerator are carried out by the medical physicist. The modern linear accelerators also have some internal checking systems which prevent the machine from being turned on until all prescribed treatment requirements are met.

As treatment continues, the patient is continuously observed by the radiation therapist via a closed- circuit television monitor. The patient will also be able to speak with the therapist if the need arises. In addition, pot films and cone beams are regularly inspected to prevent variation of the beam position from the original plan.

It is also crucial to ensure the safety of the staff that operates the linear accelerator. The linear accelerator is placed in a room reinforced with lead and concrete walls to shield the high-energy x-rays and ensures that the accelerator is turned on from outside the treatment room. In this case, accidental exposure risks are drastically low.

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