Authorised Indian Distributor
Saxsons Group
New Delhi, India · Since 1997
Vacuum CushionsBead-Fill Conformal Immobilisation Cushion Family — SBRT-Grade
Vacuum-bag immobilisation cushion family for radiotherapy positioning. Polystyrene-bead fill in a medical-grade polyurethane outer; the operator conforms the cushion to the patient at simulation, draws vacuum through a one-touch quick-release valve and the cushion locks into the patient's body shape. Holds setup across the entire fraction series with the same conformal hold every fraction. Five sizes from head-and-neck (S) to whole-body (200 × 80 cm). Reusable across patients with standard wipe-down decontamination. SBRT-grade bead density and MR-compatible non-ferromagnetic variant available. AAPM TG-101 SBRT and TG-178 IMRT immobilisation framework.
Key Features
- Five size variants — Small (60 × 50 cm) to Whole-body (200 × 80 cm) — cover head-and-neck IMRT, breast, pelvis, abdomen, lung SBRT and whole-body TBI / TMI positioning
- Polystyrene-bead fill in a medical-grade polyurethane outer — conforms to the patient at simulation; locks under vacuum into a rigid patient-shaped cradle
- One-touch quick-release valve — operator draws vacuum, valve locks the cushion; releases instantly between patients for storage and transport
- Compatible with standard hand vacuum pumps and bench-mount electric vacuum units — pick the pump for the room throughput
- SBRT-grade high-density bead variant — stiffer conformal hold for stereotactic body programmes requiring tighter inter-fraction reproducibility
All Features
- Five size variants — Small (60 × 50 cm) to Whole-body (200 × 80 cm) — cover head-and-neck IMRT, breast, pelvis, abdomen, lung SBRT and whole-body TBI / TMI positioning
- Polystyrene-bead fill in a medical-grade polyurethane outer — conforms to the patient at simulation; locks under vacuum into a rigid patient-shaped cradle
- One-touch quick-release valve — operator draws vacuum, valve locks the cushion; releases instantly between patients for storage and transport
- Compatible with standard hand vacuum pumps and bench-mount electric vacuum units — pick the pump for the room throughput
- SBRT-grade high-density bead variant — stiffer conformal hold for stereotactic body programmes requiring tighter inter-fraction reproducibility
- MR-compatible non-ferromagnetic variant — non-ferromagnetic valve, bead and outer fabric for MR-linac and MR-sim workflows; no B0-field perturbation, no planning-image artefact
- Indexed to the patient-positioning baseplate platform via the indexing strap — the cushion sits at the same baseplate position every fraction
- Reusable across patients with standard wipe-down decontamination using hot-lab / radiotherapy-grade decontaminants
- Airtight design holds vacuum across the multi-hour SBRT fraction without re-pumping; quick-release valve still operates on demand
- Bead-fill top-up kit available — extends cushion service life by 50–100 % in high-cycle programmes
- Patient-comfort disposable liner option — hypoallergenic between-patient layer that does not affect the conformal lock
- PVC-free / latex-free outer variant for facilities with patient-allergy protocols
- Documentation: per-batch material certificate, MR-compatibility certificate (MR variant), decontamination protocol, CDSCO medical-device import registration (no AERB licence needed — passive non-radioactive accessory)
Technical Specifications
| Size variants | S (60 × 50 cm), M (90 × 70 cm), L (120 × 80 cm), XL (160 × 80 cm), Whole-body (200 × 80 cm) |
| Fill material | Polystyrene bead — standard density (routine) or high-density (SBRT-grade) |
| Outer fabric | Medical-grade polyurethane — airtight, wipe-down decontaminable |
| Valve | Quick-release one-touch seal; compatible with hand and electric vacuum pumps |
| MR-compatibility variant | Non-ferromagnetic valve + bead + outer; verified no B0-field perturbation or MR planning-image artefact |
| Allergy-conscious variant | PVC-free / latex-free outer for facilities with patient-allergy protocols |
| Reinforced variant | Abrasion-resistant outer for high-cycle SBRT and research-protocol use |
| Indexing | Indexing strap locks the cushion to the patient-positioning baseplate platform (paired product) |
| Vacuum hold | Airtight design holds vacuum across multi-hour fraction; quick-release valve operates on demand |
| Reuse | Reusable across patients with standard wipe-down decontamination; bead-fill top-up kit extends service life |
| Pump compatibility | Standard hand vacuum pump (manual) and bench-mount electric vacuum unit (high-throughput) |
| Compliance framework | AAPM TG-101 (SBRT), AAPM TG-178 (IMRT immobilisation device methodology), AAPM TG-176 (dosimetric handling) |
| Documentation | Per-batch material certificate, MR-compatibility certificate, decontamination protocol |
Applications
Six worked treatment workflows the vacuum-cushion family covers
Lung SBRT — primary use
XL or Whole-body cushion + SBRT-grade bead + indexed baseplate. The cushion conforms to the patient at 4D-CT simulation, locks the patient shape, and reproduces the same shape every fraction. Pair with 4D-CT-derived ITV or breath-hold gating; ITV / CTV margin per AAPM TG-101.
Abdomen SBRT (liver / kidney)
XL cushion + SBRT-grade bead + indexed baseplate. Same workflow as lung but with abdominal target — typically pairs with breath-hold gating to lock liver / kidney respiratory motion. Cushion reproduces breath-hold patient shape across fractions.
Head-and-neck IMRT
S cushion under the head + thermoplastic mask + shoulder-retraction strap. The cushion supports the cervical-spine curvature and pairs with the headrest from the baseplate library; the mask locks the head-neck shell on top.
Pelvic IMRT setup
L cushion conforming to the buttocks and posterior pelvis + knee-foot support + indexed baseplate. Cushion provides the conformal hold under the buttocks; the knee-foot locks the femoral rotation. Setup reproducibility within < 5 mm at the prostate per daily CBCT verification.
Whole-body TBI / TMI
Whole-body cushion provides head-to-foot positioning for total-body / total-marrow irradiation. Cushion supports the patient across the extended treatment field; pairs with daily CT-on-rails or extended-SSD calculation per the centre TBI / TMI protocol.
MR-linac positioning
MR-compatible cushion variant + MR-compatible baseplate. The same conformal hold + indexed pitch as the conventional setup but with non-ferromagnetic construction. Setup transfers from MR-sim to MR-linac at the same indexed-pitch reproducibility as CT-sim to conventional linac.
Why Vacuum Cushions?
At CT-sim or MR-sim, the operator places the patient on the cushion and shapes the bead-fill to match the patient outline. The bead flows around the body region until the patient is comfortable; the quick-release valve is opened, the vacuum pump draws air out of the cushion, the cushion stiffens and locks. The patient is now in a custom-fit conformal cradle.
The cushion holds the patient shape across the fraction series — the same cradle the patient was simulated in is the same cradle they're treated in every day. Inter-fraction setup reproducibility benefits from this conformal hold: skin marks line up, internal anatomy lines up, CBCT verification confirms within tolerance.
The cushion is wipe-down decontaminable between patients. The valve releases the vacuum, the bead-fill returns to free-flow, the cushion is cleaned and stored. For the next patient, the cushion conforms to the new body shape and locks into the new cradle. Reusability brings the per-patient cushion cost down to a fraction of the per-patient consumable cost.
Variant matrix
Pick the size, the bead grade and the outer fabric
Five size variants, three bead-grade tiers and three outer-fabric tiers. The per-treatment-site build sheet matches the size to the body region, the bead grade to the reproducibility need (SBRT vs IMRT), and the outer fabric to the cleanroom-tier and patient-allergy expectations.
Size variants
| Size | Dimensions (typical) | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| Small (S) | 60 × 50 cm | Head-and-neck IMRT, brain SRS chin support, paediatric setups |
| Medium (M) | 90 × 70 cm | Thorax / breast tangential, upper abdomen, paediatric whole-body |
| Large (L) | 120 × 80 cm | Pelvic IMRT, lower abdomen, prone-board pairing |
| Extra-Large (XL) | 160 × 80 cm | Lung SBRT, abdomen SBRT, whole-trunk adult setups |
| Whole-body | 200 × 80 cm | TBI / TMI, extended-field SBRT, adult head-to-foot positioning |
Accessories Matrix
| Hand vacuum pump (manual) | Operator-controlled rapid vacuum at simulation; portable for between-room use; pairs with the quick-release valve |
| Electric vacuum unit (bench-mount) | High-throughput SBRT or busy CT-sim room; sustained vacuum during the simulation cycle without operator pump effort |
| Quick-release valve (universal) | One-touch seal that locks the bead bag under vacuum; releases instantly between patients for storage |
| Replacement valve kit | Routine maintenance for high-cycle programmes; valve is the highest-wear component on a reusable cushion |
| Indexing strap to baseplate | Locks the cushion onto the indexed baseplate platform; ensures inter-fraction reproducibility between baseplate-cushion-patient setup |
| Carry handles + storage bag | Between-fraction storage and inter-room transport; cushion stays clean and intact across the fraction series |
| Patient comfort liner (single-use) | Disposable hypoallergenic liner between cushion and patient — improves comfort without compromising the conformal lock |
| Bead-fill top-up kit | Replenishes lost bead from repeated use; extends cushion service life by 50–100 % typically |
Per-batch material certificate and (where applicable) MR-compatibility certificate ship with every consignment. Pump selection (hand vs electric) and indexing strap are specified to the receiving baseplate platform during site IQ / OQ.
Catalogs & Resources
AAPM references that anchor vacuum-cushion immobilisation in SBRT and IMRT workflows. Contact Saxsons for size + variant + accessory configuration.
AAPM TG-101 — Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy
AAPM task-group report on SBRT delivery including immobilisation expectations for body-region treatments.
AAPM TG-178 — Methodology to determine the use of body immobilisation devices
AAPM task-group report on body-immobilisation device characterisation and clinical-use methodology.
AAPM TG-176 — Dosimetric effects of couch tops and immobilization devices
AAPM task-group report on dosimetric handling of immobilisation devices including vacuum-cushion attenuation characterisation.
Vacuum Cushions
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FAQ
Vacuum cushion immobilisation — questions we hear from Indian radiation-oncology teams
Why baseplate + mask alone isn't enough for SBRT margins, how the polystyrene-bead-and-vacuum design locks the body shape, which anatomical sites and fraction lengths it holds across, and how the cushion family is supplied across India.
Q.Why do SBRT and long-fraction IMRT setups need a vacuum cushion on top of a baseplate?
A baseplate + mask locks the head, thorax or pelvis to the couch reference — but the patient body between those fixed points still sags, rotates and slumps across a 25–30 minute treatment. On SBRT with 12–20 Gy per fraction and 3–5 mm PTV margins, any inter-fractional or intra-fractional slump translates directly into a geometric miss on the tumour or an overdose on the organ at risk. A vacuum cushion moulds to the patient body at simulation, hardens under vacuum, and locks the body shape into the same conformal hold every fraction.
Q.How does the polystyrene-bead-and-vacuum design solve the "same shape every day" problem?
The cushion is a medical-grade polyurethane bag filled with polystyrene beads. At simulation the technologist arranges the patient in position, applies vacuum to the bag, and the beads lock into the conformal patient shape. On every subsequent fraction the same cushion is placed on the couch and the patient lies back into the same moulded shape — reproducibility within the SBRT margin envelope, day 30 as day 1.
Q.Which anatomical sites and treatment types does the cushion family cover?
Sizes cover small (H&N + shoulder), medium (thorax), large (abdomen + pelvis), XL and whole-body configurations. Typical use covers lung SBRT, liver SBRT, abdomen and pancreas SBRT, pelvis and prostate IGRT, thorax IMRT (with breath-hold), and paediatric whole-body immobilisation.
Q.How long does a single vacuum cushion last across the fraction series?
A cushion holds vacuum for weeks to months if the seal remains intact — enough for the full 30-fraction IMRT course or the 3–5 fraction SBRT course from one moulding. If bead loss from repeated use or minor punctures degrades the hold, the bead-fill top-up kit restores the shape without re-moulding the patient. Typical service life extends 50–100 % over the un-topped-up baseline.
Q.How is the vacuum-cushion family supplied and supported in India?
The family is distributed across India by Saxsons Group. Supply covers the five-size range, quick-release valves, storage bags, single-use comfort liners and bead-fill top-up kits. The system is a passive non-radioactive accessory imported under CDSCO Medical Devices Rules 2017 — no AERB licence needed for the device itself.
Vacuum Cushions supplier in India — Saxsons Group
Saxsons Group has supplied radiotherapy equipment to over 1,000 Indian hospitals since 1988. Every consignment of Vacuum Cushions ships with cold-chain logistics, AERB import documentation, CDSCO registration references and a Certificate of Analysis delivered before dispatch — the paperwork your radiation-safety and procurement teams need, pre-assembled.
- Nationwide delivery footprint — every metro and tier-2 city in India, scheduled to your treatment / procedure calendar.
- AERB & CDSCO documentation — import licence, radiation-safety paperwork and RSO briefing pre-assembled for the audit file.
- 40+ years in Indian oncology — long-standing supply relationships with AIIMS, Tata Memorial, and hundreds of tertiary-care centres.
- Single point of accountability — one purchase order, one delivery contact, one after-sales team across the whole product family.
Also supplied by Saxsons Group across India
The conformal-hold immobilisation partner for SBRT and IMRT delivery
Contact Saxsons Group for size + bead-density variant + pump selection, MR-compatibility variant ordering, baseplate-pairing build sheet and IQ / OQ / PQ documentation.