CMC hospital Ludhiana upgrades to MLCi2-equipped Elekta Compact linear accelerator

Christian Medical College & Hospital (CMC) Ludhiana is the site of the first Elekta Compact™ linear accelerator in the world to be field-upgraded to an MLCi2-equipped Elekta Compact, completing the transformation in less than a week. MLCi2 shapes treatment beams, enabling doctors to provide more accurate delivery to the target, while limiting radiation exposure to surrounding structures.

An Elekta installation team, which worked to integrate the MLCi2 full field 80 leaf multi-leaf collimator in March, took only another three days to install the system's iViewC™ digital imaging system. The Elekta team commissioned both technologies in a single day.

"The speed with which we can integrate MLCi2 in Elekta Compact demonstrates not only the skill of our installation teams, but also the inherent modularity of MLCi2, such as the way the head itself is fitted and the installation of computer cabinets," says Russ Cox, Senior Product Manager. "iViewC was designed as a module to make it simple to install and commissioning is easy because we're dealing with a single energy for the treatment system. Installation teams are dedicated to achieving upgrades within specified timescales, even working longer hours if required to get the job done. We are committed to further reducing field upgrade times to make it even more seamless, enabling our customers to return to treating patients as quickly as possible."

The quick conversion of Elekta Compact – which uses asymmetric jaws and blocks for beam shaping – to an MLC-equipped Elekta Compact was impressive, according to M.K. Mahajan, M.D., Professor and Head, Department of Radiotherapy at CMC.

"This was a commendable effort on the part of the Elekta installation team," he says. "It was an easy process and has enabled us to begin working quickly to enter dose output data into the treatment planning system and complete dose modeling so we can start treating patients. I'm quite pleased with how easy this major technological improvement was."

Elekta Compact was designed for modular upgrades, which will help us to incorporate technological improvements as they become available or when CMC is ready for them, he adds.

Dr. Mahajan predicts that CMC's daily patient volume on Elekta Compact should quickly increase to 50 per day within a year. Consequently, he was encouraged to learn that Elekta was committed to providing not only a comprehensive multi-year service contract, but also rapid service response to address equipment issues. "They were glad to tell us that they will be able to provide service to us in less than 24 hours."