Posted on 03/30/2020 1:35:17 PM PDT by nickcarraway
As hospitals face an overload of COVID-19 patients struggling to breathe, innovative medical staff are turning to snorkelling masks from sports stores to stop their lungs collapsing.
The idea started in Italy, the European country worst-hit by the coronavirus pandemic, with hospitals in other nations taking note and adding their own specific medical parts to make it work.
One such is the Erasme Hospital on the outskirts of Belgium's capital Brussels. It is attached to the city's ULB university - and through it to a private spin-off, Endo Tools Therapeutics, whose knowhow in 3D printing for medical use has proved invaluable.
(Excerpt) Read more at channelnewsasia.com ...
Necessity is the mother of invention
If it works and seems it does, would save a lot of discomfort and problem a truckload of money.
Innovation is beautiful. Great job.
This is similar to a discussion that tomkat and I had the other day on posts 44 and 62 here... https://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3829296/posts
Beer goggles would be better.
What could they do to improve the N95?
Snorkel Masks? You mean like...Snorks in S.T.A.L.K.E.R.?
We’re so screwed.
Time to hit a stimpak and some Vinca.
“What could they do to improve the N95?”
Depends on what you want it to do. If you want it to oxygen saturate a sick patient, it won’t. If you want it to totally stop the virus from getting into a person, won’t do that either. You would need a self contained breathing apparatus like is used on a hazmet suit. SCUBA masks and lungs will do it, but it’s clumsy and sloppy.
The mask used in the thread is a sealed product and will do the job of a ventilator very nicely. But these are limited, also. Another item that might assist is a CPAP as it provides medication at the same time with a hose attachment. But they are limited too.
rwood
What could they do to improve the N95?</i>
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I don’t believe these are suitable for medical personnel.... the risk is too high that the virus will sneak past the mask. To prove that, just take a look at the stats for Italy as far as the percent of people who died that are health care providers. Ditto for even bigger dangers like ebola. They need to go to proper half masks that are fit tested to ensure a tight seal around the face. For some applications, they need to go to full face masks so that the wearer’s eyes are protected. Here’s a 3M product on Amazon... note that they are out of stock. https://www.amazon.ca/Facepiece-Reusable-Respirator-6200-medium/dp/B007JZ1N00
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