"We haven't decreased the treatment slot yet because we want to gain confidence that we will have interruption-free delivery," Dr. Simpson observes. "Once we have this confidence we can start to reduce the timeslots from 20 minutes to 15 minutes. Multiplied by 20 plus patients per day, we will gain an hour-and-a-half, which should help us add more timeslots to increase access to care."
ARO building advanced healthcare enterprise to serve Australasia
Ad Statistics
Times Displayed: 22487
Times Visited: 455 Stay up to date with the latest training to fix, troubleshoot, and maintain your critical care devices. GE HealthCare offers multiple training formats to empower teams and expand knowledge, saving you time and money
Since it opened two years ago, ARO has initiated a steady stream of technology acquisitions aimed at creating a state-of-the-art facility that will complement New Zealand's public health system.
Adding an extra degree of sophistication to ARO's operation, for example, is MOSAIQ®, Elekta's solution for oncology information management.
"We were determined to be paperless from day one, so MOSAIQ was the obvious choice to go along with the Elekta systems," he says. "MOSAIQ is the key component to our efficiency at ARO. We export our VMAT plans from our treatment planning system through MOSAIQ in the same way we do for any other conventional treatment without any additional steps."
ARO currently is embarking on a further advance in its treatment capability with the addition of a second VMAT capable Elekta Synergy system with a suite of add-ons to enable image guided stereotactic radiation therapy, which will begin in 2011.
About Elekta VMAT
With Elekta VMAT the treatment gantry-the part of the machine from which radiation beams originate-is in constant motion, with single or multiple gantry arc(s) sweeping around the patient. During these arc(s), the radiation intensity is continuously varied and modulated. This ensures a computer assisted delivery, according to the anatomical and tumor characteristics of the patient and the dose prescription. Using dynamic gantry arcs, Elekta VMAT can result in significantly reduced treatment times, while providing a more personalized treatment. In conventional "fixed gantry" therapy, the gantry makes several stops, which add to the overall treatment time and result in a longer session.
About Elekta
Elekta is a human care company pioneering significant innovations and clinical solutions for treating cancer and brain disorders. The company develops sophisticated, state-of-the-art tools and treatment planning systems for radiation therapy and radiosurgery, as well as workflow enhancing software systems across the spectrum of cancer care.
Stretching the boundaries of science and technology, providing intelligent and resource-efficient solutions that offer confidence to both healthcare providers and patients, Elekta aims to improve, prolong and even save patient lives, making the future possible.
