Negative Pressure Intubation Chamber with Deformable Sidewalls
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Solution Overview
Problem
Medical personnel are at high risk of exposure to infectious agents like COVID-19 during procedures such as tracheal intubation due to the lack of adequate protective gear, and existing methods rely heavily on reusable personal protective equipment that may not effectively contain viral contaminants.
Innovation Solution
A portable negative pressure chamber with a frame and transparent body that surrounds the patient's head, featuring deformable sidewalls and access holes, which captures and exhausts contaminants through negative pressure, allowing medical procedures to be performed safely without relying solely on personal protective gear.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If medical personnel rely on personal protective equipment (mask, glasses, gloves) during intubation procedures, then they can perform procedures on patients, but they remain at high risk of exposure to infectious agents like COVID-19
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a transparent barrier (plexiglass shield) as an intermediary between the medical personnel and the patient. This shield physically blocks droplets and aerosols from reaching the personnel while allowing visual contact and procedure performance. The barrier is positioned between the provider's face and the patient's airway, creating a protective interface that maintains both safety and functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a transparent film or shield (plexiglass) that acts as a flexible yet protective barrier. This thin film material provides effective protection against infectious agents while maintaining transparency for visual monitoring and procedural accuracy. The shield can be positioned and adjusted to cover critical areas without obstructing the medical procedure.
2Reliability
If reusable protective gear is used to protect medical personnel, then personnel can be protected during procedures, but subsequent patients may be exposed to contaminants from the reused gear
Solution Approach 1:
The patent promotes the use of disposable protective barriers and single-use components that can be discarded after a single procedure. This eliminates the risk of cross-contamination between patients while maintaining protection for medical personnel. The transparent shield and associated protective materials are designed for single-use, ensuring that no contaminants are transferred to subsequent patients.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the protective function from the medical personnel's body (by providing external barriers) and separates it from the procedure equipment. This allows the protective elements to be independently disposed of after use, while the medical equipment can be sterilized and reused. The protection is externalized rather than integrated into reusable equipment.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If a protective barrier is placed between medical personnel and the patient during intubation, then exposure risk is reduced, but access to the patient for performing procedures becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The protective barrier is segmented into multiple sections or zones, with different levels of protection and access points. The shield includes openings or access areas that allow medical personnel to reach the patient's airway while maintaining protection in other areas. This segmentation allows simultaneous protection and procedural access by dividing the barrier into functional zones.
Solution Approach 2:
The protective barrier is designed with asymmetric features, including larger or more accessible openings on the side where the provider needs to access the patient, while maintaining full coverage in areas where exposure risk is highest. The asymmetric design optimizes the balance between protection and access by placing access points strategically where they are most needed for the procedure.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The chamber effectively contains and removes viral and bacterial contaminants, reducing the risk of exposure for medical personnel and preventing the spread of infectious agents during medical procedures, thereby enhancing safety and reducing the risk of hospital overload.
Implementation Method 1
providing negative pressure within the chamber, and capturing and exhausting any of the virus, bacteria, or other contaminants released by the patient during the medical procedure
Data Source
AI summary
A chamber for placement over a patient while allowing medical personnel to perform various medical procedures releasing virus, bacteria, or other contaminants, such as tracheal intubation, on the patient, including a frame forming and supporting two sidewalls and a curved center portion extending between the sidewalls of a transparent body, wherein the body includes at least one access hole, and wherein the chamber surrounds the patient's head and one of the sidewalls deforms around the patient's body in order to capture and exhaust any of the virus, bacteria, or other contaminants released by the patient during the medical procedure. A method of using the chamber of to perform a medical procedure on a patient releasing virus, bacteria, or other contaminants.