Puget Sound VA<\/a> worked with radiation oncology clinicians across the enterprise and an external 3D printing company, 3D Systems, to bring this solution to life.<\/p>\nThe team conducted extensive interviews with subject matter experts and implemented a comprehensive, five-phase development process for the RTB to improve the experience and outcomes for Veterans undergoing radiation therapy.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe had clinicians from Richmond VA and Cleveland VA who were meeting with us on a recurring basis giving feedback on how the project was progressing, feedback on the device itself and they functioned as those advisors throughout the development process,\u201d said Alex Hotz, product development engineer at Puget Sound VA.<\/p>\n
Clinician feedback on Veteran impact<\/h2>\n
With 21 personalized boluses since April 2023, the RTB has already demonstrated its potential to enhance radiation therapy precision and improve outcomes for Veterans. Clinicians who have used the RTB for Veterans have reported impressive results.<\/p>\n
A radiotherapy clinician from VISN 6 said the 3D-printed devices are working as planned and she is looking forward to new opportunities. \u201cThe CT scan of the piece fit nicely to the patient\u2019s external contour and it matched the planned structure almost perfectly.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Another clinician from VISN 20 echoed this sentiment. \u201cEverything worked out wonderfully. The bolus fit like a glove and the cleave location was spot on. The smoothing of the contour gave us a nice, finished product, and the bolus on the patient and under the mask looks great.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The future of radiation therapy within VHA<\/h2>\n
The RTB has gained traction across VA largely due to expanded benefits through the PACT Act. VA has 41 radiation oncology sites, with more than half already capable of providing Veterans access to RTB and more planned to come onboard in the coming months.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs an FDA-registered medical device manufacturer housed within VA, we provide accountability and seamless integration with our clinicians without the need for complex contracts or processes that come with using outside vendors,\u201d said Sam Mentzer, clinical engineer at Puget Sound VA.<\/p>\n
The RTB can be turned around in just a matter of days from clinician request to delivery, ensuring Veterans receive timely and effective treatment.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe hope to reduce the time Veterans spend in the treatment chair and improve the overall dose distribution,\u201d said Lorelei Gorr, product lead at OAM\u2019s Seattle site, Puget Sound VA. \u201cThis project aligns with our commitment to offering the soonest and best care to those who have served the Nation.\u201d<\/p>\n
For more information on VHA\u2019s RTB and to begin the ordering process, visit OAM\u2019s website.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"VA is continuing to lead the way in providing new and innovative solutions for Veterans with cancer. One of the latest examples is the use of 3D-printing technology to change the way Veterans receive radiation therapy. It matched the planned structure almost perfectly VA\u2019s Office of Advanced Manufacturing (OAM) is producing precise, patient-specific, FDA-cleared radiotherapy […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":289390,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[204,5,1289],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-289388","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cancer","category-health","category-visn-20"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/289388","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=289388"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/289388\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":289394,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/289388\/revisions\/289394"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/289390"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=289388"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=289388"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=289388"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![<\/a>It matched the planned structure almost perfectly<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\nVA\u2019s Office of Advanced Manufacturing (OAM) is producing precise, patient-specific, FDA-cleared radiotherapy boluses<\/a> (RTB) to help control the radiation dose.<\/p>\nThese patient-matched boluses are transforming cancer care. Each bolus is customized for the patient\u2019s treatment needs and anatomy using a patient\u2019s CT scan to create a unique 3D-printed RTB. This advanced technology supports precise radiation, targeting tumors while sparing healthy tissue, improving cancer care for Veterans.<\/p>\nTraditional boluses often resemble sheets of paper, requiring providers to engage in a delicate procedure during application. The challenge lies in achieving a flat, bubble-free surface against the Veteran patient\u2019s skin. Providers must ensure no air pockets disrupt the uniformity of the bolus, a process that can be time-consuming and prone to imperfections.<\/p>\nA collaborative effort to treat cancer<\/h2>\nVA engineers at OAM\u2019s Seattle site at Puget Sound VA<\/a> worked with radiation oncology clinicians across the enterprise and an external 3D printing company, 3D Systems, to bring this solution to life.<\/p>\nThe team conducted extensive interviews with subject matter experts and implemented a comprehensive, five-phase development process for the RTB to improve the experience and outcomes for Veterans undergoing radiation therapy.<\/p>\n\u201cWe had clinicians from Richmond VA and Cleveland VA who were meeting with us on a recurring basis giving feedback on how the project was progressing, feedback on the device itself and they functioned as those advisors throughout the development process,\u201d said Alex Hotz, product development engineer at Puget Sound VA.<\/p>\nClinician feedback on Veteran impact<\/h2>\nWith 21 personalized boluses since April 2023, the RTB has already demonstrated its potential to enhance radiation therapy precision and improve outcomes for Veterans. Clinicians who have used the RTB for Veterans have reported impressive results.<\/p>\nA radiotherapy clinician from VISN 6 said the 3D-printed devices are working as planned and she is looking forward to new opportunities. \u201cThe CT scan of the piece fit nicely to the patient\u2019s external contour and it matched the planned structure almost perfectly.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\nAnother clinician from VISN 20 echoed this sentiment. \u201cEverything worked out wonderfully. The bolus fit like a glove and the cleave location was spot on. The smoothing of the contour gave us a nice, finished product, and the bolus on the patient and under the mask looks great.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\nThe future of radiation therapy within VHA<\/h2>\nThe RTB has gained traction across VA largely due to expanded benefits through the PACT Act. VA has 41 radiation oncology sites, with more than half already capable of providing Veterans access to RTB and more planned to come onboard in the coming months.<\/p>\n\u201cAs an FDA-registered medical device manufacturer housed within VA, we provide accountability and seamless integration with our clinicians without the need for complex contracts or processes that come with using outside vendors,\u201d said Sam Mentzer, clinical engineer at Puget Sound VA.<\/p>\nThe RTB can be turned around in just a matter of days from clinician request to delivery, ensuring Veterans receive timely and effective treatment.<\/p>\n\u201cWe hope to reduce the time Veterans spend in the treatment chair and improve the overall dose distribution,\u201d said Lorelei Gorr, product lead at OAM\u2019s Seattle site, Puget Sound VA. \u201cThis project aligns with our commitment to offering the soonest and best care to those who have served the Nation.\u201d<\/p>\nFor more information on VHA\u2019s RTB and to begin the ordering process, visit OAM\u2019s website.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"VA is continuing to lead the way in providing new and innovative solutions for Veterans with cancer. One of the latest examples is the use of 3D-printing technology to change the way Veterans receive radiation therapy. It matched the planned structure almost perfectly VA\u2019s Office of Advanced Manufacturing (OAM) is producing precise, patient-specific, FDA-cleared radiotherapy […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":289390,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[204,5,1289],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-289388","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cancer","category-health","category-visn-20"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/289388","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=289388"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/289388\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":289394,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/289388\/revisions\/289394"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/289390"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=289388"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=289388"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=289388"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}](\"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Nose-Bolus-Fit-Scan_r1-2.jpg\"){kind=link}