Vacuum-Formed Shield with View Port for Aerosol Barrier
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Solution Overview
Problem
Medical practitioners are at risk of contracting contagious diseases during oral or nasal examinations due to exposure to aerosolized pathogens from patients, with existing personal protective equipment (PPE) serving as a last line of defense and requiring additional measures for effective protection.
Innovation Solution
A lightweight, transparent, and concave plastic shield designed to fit over a patient's mouth or nose, with an orifice for a tongue depressor or nasal swab, providing a barrier against aerosols and offering a view port for unobstructed examination, fabricated using vacuum-formed PET material for cost-effectiveness and ease of use.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional PPE (masks, face shields) is used to protect healthcare providers, then protection against aerosolized pathogens is improved, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The shield is divided into multiple functional zones: a barrier portion for pathogen blocking, a viewing portion for visual examination, and an instrument receiving portion for tool insertion. This segmentation allows each zone to perform its specific function optimally while maintaining overall protection effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The single shield structure simultaneously provides multiple functions: aerosol blocking, visual observation window, and instrument passage. This multi-functionality consolidates what would traditionally require multiple separate PPE items into one integrated device, reducing complexity while maintaining protection.
2Reliability
If a solid shield is used to block aerosols, then protection is improved, but visibility and ease of operation deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The shield has different properties in different regions: the barrier portion is opaque and solid for maximum aerosol blocking, while the viewing portion is transparent to allow visual observation. This local differentiation of material properties optimizes both protection and visibility functions simultaneously.
Solution Approach 2:
The transparent viewing portion acts as an intermediary that allows light transmission for visibility while maintaining the physical barrier function. This intermediary region reconciles the contradiction between solid barrier effectiveness and optical transparency for observation.
3Stability of the object's composition
If a complex mounting system is used to secure the shield, then stability is improved, but ease of manufacture and cost-effectiveness deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The mounting features are integrated directly into the shield structure during vacuum forming, rather than being separate components. The instrument receiving portion and mounting tabs are formed as part of the single shield piece, simplifying manufacturing while ensuring stable attachment to tongue depressors or swabs.
Solution Approach 2:
The shield's own structure provides its mounting mechanism through integrally formed tabs and the instrument receiving portion. The shield serves both as the protective barrier and as its own mounting system, eliminating the need for separate complex attachment hardware.
4Ease of manufacture
If a flat shield is used, then ease of manufacture is improved, but aerosol interception effectiveness deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The shield is formed with a curved, dome-like shape rather than being flat. This curvature allows the shield to better intercept aerosols that may approach from various angles and conform to the contours of the patient's face, improving protection effectiveness while still being manufacturable via vacuum forming.
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 shield effectively blocks aerosols and pathogens, enhancing the protection of healthcare providers by acting as a first line of defense during procedures, while allowing clear visibility and ease of use, and can be produced inexpensively for single-use applications.
Implementation Method 1
A lightweight, transparent, and concave plastic shield designed to fit over a patient's mouth or nose... providing a barrier against aerosols
Data Source
AI summary
A PPE shield mounted on a tongue deflector (depressor) or an oral/nasal swab establishes a barrier between the patient and a healthcare provider to substantially block aerosols and the like which may be exhaled or expelled by the patient, thereby protecting the healthcare provider from exposure to these aerosols and the like while performing a procedure. The shield may be generally concave, such as frustroconical or hemispherical. The depressor or swab may be inserted through an opening in the shield. A support structure may be formed at or around the opening. A flat view port may be provided in the shield, allowing the healthcare provider to have an unobstructed and undistorted view of the patient's oral cavity or nasal passage while performing the procedure. The shield may be vacuum formed.