In the rapid development of modern medicine, the innovation of medical devices and materials is the key to improving treatment effects and patient safety. With the advancement of medical technology, especially the widespread application of radiological imaging diagnosis, such as CT scans and DR (digital radiography) examinations, the safety protection issues of hospital radiology departments have received increasing attention. Because radioactive substances have potential hazards to the human body and the environment, effectively carrying out radiation protection and reducing radiation exposure has become an urgent problem to be solved.
Based on this background, tungsten alloy, as a new type of shielding material, has gradually received widespread attention. Tungsten heavy alloy refers to an alloy composed of tungsten and other metal elements (such as nickel, iron, and copper). It has high density, high strength and hardness, good biocompatibility, and its shielding ability against radiation is 1.5 times that of traditional lead materials. Therefore, tungsten-based high-density materials have gradually replaced lead in the medical field and have become the best radiation shielding material. Next, we will focus on sharing several specific applications of tungsten-based high-density materials in medical devices.
1. Tungsten Alloy Shielding Vial/Transfer Vial
In nuclear medicine, radioactive isotopes such as technetium 99 (Tc-99) and F18 are often used in the diagnosis and treatment process. These radioactive isotopes need to be safely stored and transported to prevent harm to the surrounding environment and personnel. Therefore, shielding tanks and transfer tanks have become key equipment for the safe storage and transportation of radioactive materials. Tungsten alloy is an ideal material for making such products due to its high density, high strength, and radiation absorption capacity. It can not only effectively protect medical staff and patients from radiation, but also ensure the structural integrity of the shielding tank/transfer tank when it falls or is accidentally hit, and prevent the leakage of radioactive materials.
Compared with traditional shielding materials, tungsten alloy, as a new shielding material, has shown great value. Lead blocks are metal materials used in the field of shielding parts earlier, but it was found during use that the efficiency of shielding parts made of lead is not high enough and will cause serious pollution to the environment. The shielding efficiency of the new generation of tungsten has been proven to be 1.5 times that of traditional lead materials. Tungsten alloy containers weigh 25% to 50% less than lead while eliminating incidental toxic hazards and reducing mixed waste disposal costs.
2. Tungsten Alloy Syringe Shield
The design principle of the tungsten alloy syringe protective shield is mainly based on the high density and excellent radiation shielding ability of tungsten alloy. During the injection of radioactive drugs, the syringe protective cover is an important tool to protect medical staff and patients from radiation. Tungsten alloy syringe protective shield can instantly shield radiation during the injection process and reduce radiation exposure to the hands of medical staff. And its design can ensure sufficient flexibility so that medical staff can operate the syringe accurately.
3. Gamma-ray collimator
In medical CT equipment, collimators play an important role and are mainly divided into two types: the first is the X-ray tube side collimator, also known as the front collimator, which is located in front of the CT tube. This component is responsible for converting the conical X-rays generated by the tube into a thin sheet-shaped beam. Its main function is to control the thickness of the scanning layer, which is achieved by adjusting the width of the X-ray beam in the direction parallel to the long axis of the human body. The second is the detector side collimator, that is, the rear collimator. Its slit is aligned with each detector to ensure that the detector only receives vertically incident rays, thereby reducing the interference of scattered rays in other directions on the signal. The gamma knife focuses the gamma rays emitted by 201 cobalt 60 sources arranged in parallel on the spherical surface into a focus, which can make brain tumors or cerebral vascular malformations disappear or inhibit their growth. In order to protect the concentration of rays and protect the health and safety of patients and medical staff, it is necessary to shield the rays through high-density shielding materials, among which the shielding sleeve and end cap of the shielding component are made of tungsten alloy.
Gamma rays, also known as gamma rays or gamma particle streams, are rays released when the energy level of an atom is de-excited. They are electromagnetic waves with a wavelength shorter than 0.01 angstroms. Since gamma rays have strong penetrating power, they are used in medicine to treat cancer. It is worth noting that when gamma rays enter the human body, they will ionize cells in the body. The ions produced by ionization can corrode complex organic molecules, such as proteins, nucleic acids, and enzymes, and thus kill cancer cells. However, if normal cells absorb and are irradiated by gamma rays, it will seriously interfere with the normal circulation of major systems in the body. Therefore, the shielding effect of the gamma ray collimator is extremely important. If the shielding effect of the collimator is poor, the treatment error will be greater, so that the gamma ray may irradiate the position next to the patient's tumor. Compared with traditional lead shielding materials, tungsten alloy has a stronger ability to block rays and is more suitable for use in gamma ray collimators.
In the medical field, gamma-ray collimators have a wide range of applications. It can be used for dose monitoring and prediction in radiotherapy, which can help doctors better understand the treatment effect and reduce the risks of treatment. It can also be used for body imaging and diagnosis, helping doctors to precisely locate where treatment is needed. The high density and precise machining performance of tungsten alloys enable the collimator to precisely control the shape and size of the radiation beam, improving the treatment effect. In addition, the durability and stability of tungsten alloys ensure the long-term effectiveness of the collimator under repeated use and high-dose radiation environments.
4. Tungsten Alloy Foil for CT Detector
Tungsten alloy foil is an important anti-scatter component on the CT detector. There may be 9-129 pieces of tungsten alloy anti-scatter foil on a CT detector.
For CT examination, because it is an X-ray examination method, it will produce ionizing radiation, which may have an impact on human health. Therefore, there will be tungsten alloy shielding parts on the CT machine. The anti-scatter foil made of tungsten alloy is not easy to deform during long-term use, so it will not cause changes in channel width, avoiding signal distortion when X-rays pass through the deformed traditional ray channel, thereby ensuring image quality.
Traditional shielding foil is made of lead, which is heavy, inconvenient to use, and harmful to the human body. In contrast, tungsten alloy shielding foil has better properties than lead, is non-toxic, light in weight, flexible in applicability, and easy to use.
5. Other applications of tungsten alloy in the medical field
In the medical field, tungsten alloy is also often used in dental fillings, dental implants, and orthodontic devices, as well as orthopedic implants such as artificial joints and bone fixation devices, due to its high density, high strength, corrosion resistance, and good biocompatibility. Tungsten guidewires and catheters are often used in interventional medical procedures such as angiography, stent implantation, and interventional therapy.
The application of tungsten heavy alloys in medical devices not only improves the safety of radioactive material handling but also improves the accuracy and effectiveness of radiotherapy and brings a better treatment experience to patients. With the advancement of materials science and manufacturing technology, we have reason to believe that tungsten heavy alloys will play a more important role in the future medical field.