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Getting the Most Out of a Mask |
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While most departments are familiar with making thermoplastic masks, there are a few key points to creating a good one that are worth keeping in mind. The simple guide below features some key areas of focus that can help your department produce the quality masks you seek, time and again.
| | Make sure that the water is at the ideal temperature, approximately 160 - 170º F (70 - 77º C) before the sheet is put in the waterbath. Water temperature that’s either too low or too high can contribute significantly to an uneven hole pattern once the mask is pulled. Also, observe the proper heating times for each mask, as different-styled masks may require different-length heating times. Remember – a mask that’s left too long in a hot water bath can take an inordinate amount of time to cool down; a mask that’s not been in long enough can result in an inferior cast. | | | | •Standard Uni-frame® Mask - Approximately 4 Minutes
•IMRT Reinforced Uni-frame Mask - Approximately 5 Minutes
•IMRT Reinforced Type-S™ head-neck-shoulders - Approximately 7 Minutes
•IMRT Reinforced HipFix® Cast - Approximately 10 Minutes
•Solid HipFix Cast - Approximately 12 Minutes
•Breast Cast - Approximately 6 Minutes
| | | | Stand at the head of the couch, superior to the patient. Start the pulling process by hooking the thermoplastic under the patient’s chin and pulling it toward you, with the mask in near-vertical position. While pulling the mask down, slowly rotate it until it is horizontal*. Dock the mask onto the baseplate. After it is secure, gently form the mask down and around the nasion region of the patient, ensuring a good mold of the brow, nose bridge, and chin for accurate repositioning.
*Note: If you are using a MEDTEC IMRT ReinforcedTM mask, be sure to align the reinforced strips properly over the nasion, not the nose, before pulling the mask down over the patient. |   
|   | | | |  Stand at the head of the couch, superior to the patient. Make sure the patient is positioned properly on the baseplate, so as to ensure proper clearance of the frame into the docking holes. Begin the pulling process in a horizontal, straight down direction (there is no need to hook the chin). Make sure that the sheet lays evenly over the patient’s superclav region, avoiding any folding of the mask onto itself. Dock the frame into place, and then begin forming the thermoplastic around the nasion region*. Ensure that the shoulders are in the desired position for treatment.
The key to making a great mask lies in the proper heating, forming, and cooling of the thermoplastic material. A proper pull will result in a mask with a strong, uniform hole pattern, with correct placement of reinforced patterns over designated anatomical landmarks.
*Note: If you are using a MEDTEC IMRT ReinforcedTM mask, be sure to align the reinforced strips properly over the nasion, not the nose, before pulling the mask down over the patient. | | | |  It is important to remember to “get the heat out of the sheet” before it is removed from the patient during fabrication. Heat remaining in the mask indicates it hasn’t finished setting! Removing a mask that is still warm may cause slight shrinking, as the heat dissipates from the mask without benefit of an anatomical stopping point.
To help with the cooling process, MEDTEC offers a few simple solutions. The first is Cold Spray, which is simply sprayed across the molded cast to speed “cure” time.
MEDTEC also offers the Cold Mitt, which contains a pliable gel to c onform to the body contours, speeding the cooling of formed thermoplastic. Store in the freezer; the internal gel remains flexible to -20ºF.
Some departments find that the use of a cool, damp towel can help speed the cooling process as well. Finally, masks should be stored safely and at room temperature until they are no longer needed for the patient.
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