Beyond CIEDs: Assessing Risk to Patients with Electronic Devices
Description
Abstract: Since its publication in 2019, AAPM TG-203 has been used as a guide for physicists to assess the risks to cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIEDs) from radiation therapy treatments. There have been several new technological advances in radiation therapy treatment machines, such as the treatment of pacing-dependent patients with protons, since TG-203’s publication, and electronic devices themselves have also advanced. TG-203’s guidance has been used for other electronic devices, such as nerve stimulators, glucose monitors, pain pumps, and others, but the dose limits may not be accurate nor is there official guidance from AAPM or other sources for these devices specifically. This session aims to update physicists on the current standards associated with electronic devices, the risks posed to electronic devices by different treatment modalities, and the best practices for assessing risk for individual patients. The risks to other electronic devices will also be discussed and the best practices for treating patients with non-CIED electronic devices will be analyzed. The session will begin with a brief introduction to TG-203 methodology to provide context for device limits and measurements and will include guidance on the management of patients with CIEDs, specifically. The second part of the session will include a discussion on the management of patients with electronic devices other than CIEDs. The third and fourth parts of the session will include a discussion on how to treat patients with electronic devices with treatment modalities such as MR-linac or proton beams.