WITH the rising number of Covid-19 cases and deaths, there is a crucial need to protect healthcare frontline workers who are exposed to the virus.
Universiti Malaya Centre for Innovation and Commercialisation (UMCIC) director Professor Dr Fatimah Ibrahim said infection among medical staff might cause a shortage of healthcare personnel during the pandemic.
“It may eventually lead to the closure of the healthcare department or hospital for decontamination, which would hinder treatments and shift the workload to other hospitals.”
In efforts to protect frontline workers, researchers at the Centre for Innovation in Medical Engineering (CIME) in the Biomedical Engineering Department of UM’s Engineering Faculty had come up with intubation protective boxes produced using 3D printing technology.
Supported by courier company SPC Worldwide Express managing director Sam Yap Chee Kun, UM Innovate Fund and private donations, 27 such boxes had been donated to the University of Malaya Medical Centre, Tengku Ampuan Rahimah Hospital in Klang, Sungai Buloh Hospital, Melaka Public Health Department and Shah Alam Hospital.
Besides Fatimah, the initiative was led by Dr Mas Sahidayana Mokhtar, Professor Dr Sajaratulnisah Othman and Professor Dr Tan Maw Pin of CIME, in collaboration with Dr William Yap of Selayang Hospital and Dr Izhar Abd Aziz from 3D Gens Sdn Bhd, a 3D printing company.
The apparatus was inspired by the ingenious “aerosol box” designed by anaesthesiologist Dr Lai Hsien-yung from Mennonite Christian Hospital in Hualien, Taiwan. The device design was released online by Dr Lai on March 21 and it could be downloaded for free.
According to Fatimah, the device would shield medical workers as they insert a tube into a patient’s trachea when they suffer severe breathing difficulty.
“The box was designed using clear acrylic material to facilitate the procedure. One side of the box has two holes for a healthcare personnel to insert and maneuver their hands while examining the patient. On the opposite side, a plastic sheet is used to cover the patient’s body,” she said.
CIME is committed to help more hospitals and continue improving the protective box design by incorporating more safety and ergonomic features.
It has also assisted in obtaining the Medical Device Authority exemption to bring in RT-PCR diagnostic kits from Singapore for non-commercial use.
“This will help ease the burden of laboratories which are running out of reagents and allow technicians to perform tests without replicating new components each time,” said Fatimah.