The C-arm is a medical X-ray device, and hospitals need to provide an appropriate location for its installation. The placement of the C-arm should consider both radiation protection and the convenience of daily use.
1. Core Layout Principles
1.1 Radiation Protection as a Priority
First and foremost, the walls and ceiling of the C-arm room must be constructed with lead sheets (lead equivalent ≥ 2mm) or composite protective materials to ensure that radiation leakage is within the acceptable standards.
For example, in a hospital in Wuhan, the C-arm room’s four walls are made of 200mm brick walls + 4mm lead sheets, the ceiling is 150mm concrete + 2mm lead sheets, and the floor is 200mm concrete + 1mm lead sheet.
1.2 Clear Functional Zoning
- Operation Area: This area should accommodate the C-arm main unit and the operating table. A minimum area of 36m² is recommended to ensure sufficient space for equipment operation.
- Control Room: The control room should be adjacent to the operation area, separated by lead glass for real-time observation and monitoring.
- Auxiliary Area: This includes the equipment room (for storing high-voltage cabinets, water cooling systems), changing rooms, and waste disposal rooms.
2. Recommended Location Selection
2.1 Near the Operating Room
- Mobile C-arm: Often used for real-time imaging during surgeries like orthopedics and neurosurgery. It is recommended to place the mobile C-arm near the operating room or inside the operating room (e.g., a hybrid operating room) for quick access.
- Fixed C-arm: Requires an independent room and should be located next to the surgical department, with a dedicated passage to minimize patient transfer time.
2.2 Intervention Treatment Centers
For interventional departments (e.g., cardiovascular, oncology intervention), the C-arm room should be adjacent to the DSA room (digital subtraction angiography), forming a hybrid surgical area that supports multimodal operations. For instance, the hybrid operating room with dual C-arms at Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University separates the interventional area from the surgical area using a rotating bed, improving workflow efficiency.
2.3 Imaging Department Expansion
For smaller hospitals, the C-arm room can be managed alongside other imaging equipment such as CT and MRI, but it must be independently zoned to avoid cross-radiation exposure.
3. Traffic and Workflow Design
3.1 Patient Pathways
Design independent entrances and exits, ensuring strict separation between clean areas (such as operating rooms) and contaminated areas (such as waste disposal rooms). This follows the “three-way” principle: patient, medical staff, and waste.
3.2 Equipment Mobility
- Fixed C-arm rooms should leave space for equipment installation and maintenance passageways.
- Mobile C-arms should have flexible pathways to allow easy movement into the operating room or patient rooms.
For example, the PLX112C C-arm by Perlove Medical features a user-friendly control system. It is equipped with two monitoring systems and two exposure foot switches, enabling both in-room and external monitoring. The combination of an integrated and modular design caters to different surgical needs and user preferences. With two foot switches, it supports both near-field exposure within the operating room and different exposure requirements outside. The compact and flexible design, along with an electric assist support arm, provides five-point support, accommodating a wide range of clinical movements.
