Collapsible Infection Enclosure for Aerosol Containment Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current medical procedures lack effective solutions for protecting clinicians and staff from aerosolized fluids in field and contingency hospital environments, posing a significant transmission risk during procedures like resuscitation and airway management.
Innovation Solution
The development of an infection control device with a collapsible and expandable frame that creates a protected enclosure, allowing access for medical procedures while preventing the transmission of infectious agents, featuring a base member, support members, and enclosure with access ports for airflow devices to manage aerosols.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a protective enclosure is deployed to contain aerosolized fluids, then infection protection for clinicians is improved, but device complexity and deployment difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The protective enclosure is divided into multiple modular panels that can be independently assembled. The frame structure is segmented into collapsible sections that can be quickly deployed by simple manual manipulation, reducing the complexity of deployment while maintaining comprehensive protection.
Solution Approach 2:
The frame incorporates collapsible and expandable mechanisms that allow the structure to transition between compact and deployed states. This dynamic design enables rapid deployment without requiring complex assembly procedures, as the frame can be manually collapsed for storage and expanded for use.
2Reliability
If a rigid protective enclosure is used to contain aerosols, then containment effectiveness is improved, but ease of deployment and storage deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The frame is designed with collapsible sections that can be manually compressed into a compact configuration for easy storage and transport. When deployed, the frame expands to form a rigid-appearing enclosure that effectively contains aerosols, thus balancing containment effectiveness with operational ease.
Solution Approach 2:
The enclosure utilizes flexible yet impermeable barrier materials that can conform to the frame structure while maintaining aerosol containment. These materials allow the enclosure to be collapsed with the frame for storage but still provide effective containment when deployed.
3Ease of operation
If access ports are added to the enclosure for medical procedures, then accessibility for clinicians is improved, but containment effectiveness may deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
Access ports are equipped with air-locked mechanisms that act as intermediaries between the enclosed and external environments. These air-locked ports maintain negative pressure containment while allowing clinicians to pass instruments and equipment through, thus preserving both accessibility and containment effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The access ports are designed to maintain the negative pressure environment within the enclosure even when access is required. By using air-locked passages and sealed interfaces, the ports allow necessary interactions without compromising the controlled atmosphere that prevents aerosol escape.
Data Source
AI summary
The disclosed infection control systems and devices can be easily and quickly deployed by clinicians and staff in emergent and routine medical environments to provide adequate protection from bio-aerosolized and droplet material while allowing appropriate access to and visibility of the patient during such procedures. The infection control devices may include a base member and a frame disposed on the base member. The frame may be configured to move between a collapsed state and an expanded state with respect to the base member. The frame may include a first support member and a second support member configured to extend vertically from the base member when in the expanded state. The devices may include an enclosure member that is disposed on the frame and the base member and configured to define an enclosure above the base member. The devices may also include access member(s) configured to provide access to the enclosure.