NUCLEAR MEDICINE
shortcomings of similar projects across the country. Key participants included Engineer Guillermo Calderón, who supervised the thermo-mechanical and electrical project and currently inspects these installations on-site, and Engineer Germán Arenas, who calculated the radioprotection project (shielding thickness) and medical gases.
Site and location FUESMEN is located in the Great Health Block, next to the Central Hospital of Mendoza, the Regional Hemotherapy Center, and the COIR (Regional Oncology Integration Center Foundation). These health providers share an internal service street in the block’s heart for ambulance entry, loading and unloading materials, supplies, waste, medical gases, etc. The block is in the city’s micro-centre, a well- developed urban area with high pedestrian and vehicular traffic. The project site was part of these service spaces, with a land occupation factor of 785m , contiguous to the existing cyclotron, with constraints including the service street and an electrical transformer substation supplying the previously mentioned health providers.
Equipment to be installed The acquired equipment is a Cyclotron from the Belgian brand IBA, model Cyclone 11. The main difference from the existing equipment is that it is “self- shielded,” meaning it has a prefabricated concrete shell with an automatic opening system that aids in radiation protection and leakage, reducing the bunker wall and ceiling thickness. This is crucial given the limited space available for the bunker in this particular project. Additionally, three hot cells, provided by Comecer, will be installed. These are airtight boxes that protect laboratory operators from radiation, allowing safe material handling.
Architectural project The building is designed to occupy the free land area located to the east of the existing structure. It has approximately 880.42 square metres of covered area, distributed over two levels, with a footprint of 590.26 square metres on the ground floor and 290.16 square metres on the first floor, alongside a semi-covered machine room of 280.97 square metres. It features a main entrance independent
from the existing building to comply with quality standards and create a restricted entrance to a regulated and radioprotected area (due to the nature of the procedures conducted there and to avoid crosscontamination with patients, as this building will not offer public services). Through the main hall, vertical circulation provides access to a new office sector designated for the management of all FUESMEN, or through biometric access control to the staff changing area, leading
IFHE DIGEST 2025
References q Public circulation
q Restricted circulation of personnel
q Cyclotron area
q Laboratory and radiopharmacy area
q Deposits area q Existing building
n Raw material inputs n
Transfer of underground radiofluids
n Quality control sample n Finished radiodrug
Dispatch of radioactive material
Access to inputs
Figure 1.
to the specific restricted work area for both the radiopharmacy laboratories and the cyclotron area. Additionally, there is a service entrance
for loading and unloading materials and dispatching finished products to commercialise and distribute to other centres equipped with PET systems.
Functional organisation – zoning The changing area is developed as a unidirectional circuit. It then transitions through a series of rooms serving as air pressure lock chambers, aiding in radioprotection and preventing contamination between environments. These also function as antechambers to all laboratories. The floor plan is divided into three main areas: the cyclotron work area, the laboratory and radiopharmacy area, and the storage area. The cyclotron’s location was the
project’s starting point, as it is the primary objective of the construction, and its dimensions and interaction with other areas influenced the entire project layout. Access to the four laboratories is centralised through a SAS (Sterile Access System) with access control and door interlocking systems. Each room’s location is designed to minimise the movement of
hazardous materials. A key point is the incorporation of dividing windows between rooms to create visual connections, aiding in accident prevention and control. The reception area, supply storage, and
dispatch of finished materials are adjacent to the service street to avoid interfering with daily city traffic. All these sectors are connected through a central technical corridor that also links to the existing building, allowing the transfer of finished radiopharmaceuticals to the patient injection area located in the old building. The upper floor is much simpler,
consisting of an office level connected to the existing FUESMEN building and an exit to the machine room housing the HVAC system equipment. (Fig 1)
Material flow To prevent environmental contamination, all material (whether raw or finished) transported by personnel moves through specially designed stainless steel transfer systems with interlocked doors and treated air systems. Radioactive material begins its
production in the cyclotron and is transported as a radio fluid through underground trenches, which deliver the
Charging of medicinal gases
Main access
UTAS and Machine Room. 45
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