How REO helps Leo Cancer Care develop upright radiotherapy system

Electrical component specialist REO has partnered with Leo Cancer Care to help bring its new upright radiotherapy system to market, by providing the firm with medical-grade isolation transformers. 

The Eve patient positioning system will aim to improve on existing radiotherapy approaches by allowing the patient to be treated in an upright position, which indicates increased lung capacity and reduced organ movement. 

Leo cancer care has developed a new radiotherapy system that shifts how the therapy works from machine rotation around a supine patient to patient rotation in an upright position.

The device, which provides movement in six degrees of freedom, allows patients to be taken from a perched position down to a deep-seated position, as it can be lowered and raised with corresponding angle adjustments. It also features heel and shin supports to provide a stable platform for supporting patients undergoing treatment. However, as the Eve system will be a new addition to the radiotherapy market, Leo had to assure compliance with relevant medical standards.

Randal Boyd, principal electronics engineer at Leo Cancer Care, said: “As our system is new to the market, we had to demonstrate compliance with key industry safety regulations like EN 60601. We engaged REO to supply us with medical isolation transformers for the Eve system. We went to them as we realised it was more straightforward from a regulatory compliance perspective to use a product that is already certified than developing our own transformer and getting it certified.”

REO supplied Leo Cancer Care with REOMED1000 medical isolation transformers that comply with EN 60601 requirements, helping expedite the product certification process and bring it to market.

Steve Hughes, managing director of REO UK, added: “In a normal power system, the neutral and earth are connected at the distribution transformer, which creates the possibility for an electrical shock current. The medical-grade isolation transformers we supplied to Leo comply with the medical device directive, EN 60601. They work by disconnecting the earth and neutral, so there is no chance of shock without physically touching both the live and neutral connections. Even touching the live alone will not cause a shock."

Boyd concluded: “REO was very helpful as it took problems off my hands and provided honest, upfront advice that helped expedite project completion. For example, its team shared advice on installation in terms of opting for a mounted rack system and provides ongoing support. Furthermore, it was honest about any aspects of the wider project it couldn’t help with and pointed us in the right direction in terms of who to speak to.”