Cost-Effective Canopy System To Protect Healthcare Workers From Covid-19 Developed

Researchers have developed a cost-effective, plastic canopy system that can help protect healthcare workers who are at risk of coronavirus infection while delivering ventilation to COVID-19 patients with severe respiratory complications.

According to the research, published in the European Respiratory Journal, the flexible plastic canopy forms an air chamber that covers the upper part of the patient”s body.

The researchers, including those from Technion Institute of Technology in Israel, said the canopy, which can support up to four patients at a time, is connected to a system containing a high-quality air filter, and an electrical fan that creates negative pressure, pulling the filtered air to the open air, the scientists said in a statement.

They said ventilatory support with non-invasive ventilation, or High-flow nasal cannula (HFNC) oxygen therapy are used to treat people with respiratory failure.

These procedures, the scientists said, help patients with respiratory problems due to severe COVID-19 to breathe by pushing pressured air into the lungs via a mask covering the mouth.

While this can alleviate the need for in-demand invasive mechanical ventilators, they said they raise concerns of increased risk of infection for healthcare workers who treat patients with non-invasive respiratory support.

“The current crisis has resulted in a shortage of access to negative pressure facilities and invasive mechanical ventilators,” said Yochai Adir, from the Lady Davis Carmel Medical Center in Israel, who led the research team.

Adir said there is a need to adapt the technology to continue to treat patients in a better way while protecting the health and safety of healthcare workers.

“Non-invasive ventilation is one solution for this, but it may increase the risk of infection for healthcare workers, as virus particles can become airborne due to mask leakage, the speed and direction of the air flow, or from patient coughing,” Adir said.

“The constant flow canopy system that we designed and built addresses this risk, by eliminating healthcare workers” exposure to this potentially dangerous situation,” he added.

The researchers said the plastic used for the canopy design does not allow fluid or particles to pass through it, adding that it has been tested against international standards, which score effectiveness based on the number and size of airborne particles that pass through the material.

“We installed this cost-effective system within our hospital and found it supports the delivery of non-invasive ventilatory support with minimal risk of infection for the medical staff,” Adir said.

“It enables alternatives to mechanical ventilation for patients with moderate to severe coronavirus infection, who may otherwise go untreated because of a shortage of equipment,” he added.

The study mentioned that the canopy posed some limitations as it could create a barrier between patients and medical staff, making administration of treatment challenging.

It also noted that owing to the size of the canopy system, it can be difficult to install in small treatment rooms.

According to Leo Heunks, an expert in intensive care medicine from the European Respiratory Society, who was not involved in the study, critical care systems are facing unprecedented challenges because of the coronavirus pandemic.

So he said it is vital to come up with ways to alleviate the pressure on healthcare systems without compromising health worker safety.

“The design outlined in this research paper offers an interesting approach for treating patients who require breathing support, and importantly it has a clear focus on protecting the health of frontline medical staff,” Heunks said.

–Outlook India