Transparent Containment Device for Unobstructed Airway View
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current containment devices do not provide medical professionals with a clear, unobstructed, and undistorted view of a patient, nor do they facilitate ease of access for high-risk airway manoeuvres, particularly during procedures like intubation, where the risk of airborne disease transmission is high and resources such as PPE are limited.
Innovation Solution
A containment device with a substantially transparent structure, featuring a top with an upwardly inclined transparent panel for an unobstructed view, access openings for medical gloves, and a flexible barrier for partial sealing, along with a suction port for air extraction, allowing for safe containment of aerosolized pathogens and reducing the need for extensive PPE.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If a containment device is used to protect medical professionals during high-risk airway manoeuvres, then the risk of airborne pathogen transmission is reduced, but the ability to obtain a clear and unobstructed view of the patient is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The containment device incorporates a transparent or translucent panel that allows light transmission, enabling medical professionals to visually observe the patient's airway and procedural details while maintaining containment of aerosolized pathogens. The transparency property resolves the contradiction by allowing visual information to pass through the containment barrier.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If a containment device is used to contain aerosolized pathogens, then disease transmission is inhibited, but access for performing high-risk airway manoeuvres becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The containment device is designed with segmented access points including hand ports for gloved manipulation and a face port for positioning. These segmented openings allow medical professionals to perform intubation and other airway manoeuvres while maintaining containment, resolving the contradiction between pathogen containment and operational access.
Solution Approach 2:
The containment device acts as an intermediary structure that facilitates safe interaction between the medical professional and the patient. It provides a controlled interface through which airway manoeuvres can be performed without direct exposure to aerosolized pathogens, enabling both protection and access.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If extensive PPE is used to protect medical professionals, then the risk of infection is reduced, but resource availability becomes limited
Solution Approach 1:
The containment device extracts and concentrates the protection function into a single reusable structure, replacing the need for extensive disposable PPE. By providing a dedicated containment environment, it reduces consumption of N95 masks, gowns, and other PPE resources while maintaining infection control.
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 device provides a clear and safe environment for medical professionals to perform high-risk airway manoeuvres by minimizing the risk of airborne pathogen transmission and reducing the need for extensive personal protective equipment, while allowing for effective containment and extraction of aerosolized particles.
Implementation Method 1
The containment device may include a suction port extending from the structure for operatively extracting air from the interior of the structure
Data Source
AI summary
A containment device includes a substantially transparent structure having a top, an open bottom with bottom edges aligned in a plane to form a planar base, and a plurality of sidewalls extending from the bottom to the top that define an interior for a patient’s head. A first sidewall has a pair of access openings for an operator’s hands, and an open end opposite the first sidewall is sized to accommodate at least a portion of the patient’s upper body when in use. The top includes a fist transparent panel extending from the first sidewall towards the open end at an upward incline relative to the plane (AA) of the base, the first transparent panel providing the operator with an undistorted and unobstructed view of the patient’s head.