What caused Therac-25 to fail?
A commission attributed the primary cause to general poor software design and development practices rather than single-out specific coding errors. In particular, the software was designed so that it was realistically impossible to test it in a clean automated way.
What was the root cause Therac-25?
The Therac-25 is a radiation therapy machine used during the mid-80s. The radiation overdoses were caused by delivery of the high-powered electron beam without attenuation. In order for this to happen, the high-powered beam was delivered, and the attenuation was not present.
What is the Therac-25 case?
It is the biggest and most disastrous case of human error relating computer controlled radiation and human death to date. The Therac-25 was a medical linear accelerator, a linac, developed by the AECL (Atomic Energy of Canada Limited) and CGR, a French company.
What was one government agency involved in handling the problems with the Therac-25?
In March 1983, AECL performed a safety analysis on the Therac-25. This analysis was in the form of a fault tree and apparently excluded the software.
When was the Therac-25 created?
The Therac-25 software was created in 1974 and used what are now considered obsolete software engineering practices. There are, however, factors in the accident related to software engineering that are still common today.
What is a radiotherapy machine?
What is this equipment used for? A medical linear accelerator (LINAC) is the device most commonly used for external beam radiation treatments for patients with cancer. It delivers high-energy x-rays or electrons to the region of the patient’s tumor.
Which mistake was not made by the manufacturer of the Therac-25?
Question: Which mistake was not made by AECL, the manufacturer of the Therac-252 It did not include software or hardware devices to detect and report overdoses. It did not tell other hospitals about possible overdose incidents. It reused code without proper testing.
Who created Therac-25?
History and development The Therac-25 was manufactured by Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL). It was the third radiation therapy machine by the company, preceded by the Therac-6 and Therac-20. AECL built the Therac-6 and 20 in partnership with CGR, a French company.
Which mistake was not made by AECL the manufacturer of the Therac-25?
What are the dangers using radiotherapy?
Treatment Areas and Possible Side Effects
| Part of the Body Being Treated | Possible Side Effects |
|---|---|
| Head and Neck | Fatigue Hair loss Mouth changes Skin changes Taste changes Throat changes, such as trouble swallowing Less active thyroid gland |