JJ hosp makes spl chamber to transport Covid patients
COVID KAWACH JJ starts use to protect its medical staff; St George and GT hospitals to get it soon
IT FILTERS OUT PARTICLES AS SMALL AS 0.02 MICRONS. THE NEGATIVE SUCTION CHAMBER REMOVES THE INFECTED AEROSOLS
MUMBAI : To reduce the spread of Sars-cov-2 among medical staff, state government-run JJ hospital has developed a first-of-its-kind dual-pressure mode transportation chamber for Covid-19 patients. It will also reduce the need for personal protective equipment (PPE) among hospital staff, the hospital claimed.
More than 400 medical staff from civic and government-run hospitals in the city have contracted Covid-19 on duty. The department of surgery at JJ hospital, in association with the engineers of Kalbadevi-based Indomed Devices, has designed the chamber—covid Kawach. “Covid-19 infected patients need to undergo CT scan, X-ray , among other diagnoses, in different departments. This increases the chances of spreading the infection to medical staff and bystanders. We have decided to use this Covid Kawach while shifting patients,” said Dr Ajay Bhandarwar, head of the surgery department at the hospital. “This indigenous transportation vehicle consists of negative and positive pressure sections, which is much safer in comparison to the traditional open stretchers,” said Dr Amol Wagh, from the surgery department.
It is a cost-effective, easily assembled unit which can be made anywhere in India with readily available material, claimed the doctors. It consists of a HEPA filter (air filters) at the head-end, which filters out particles as small as 0.02 microns. The negative suction chamber helps remove the infected aerosols released by the patient. It helps release filtered air out of the chamber. Also, the sealed chamber prevents any leakage of air from the box. “We can also use the chamber to safely transport other non-covid patients with compromised immunity to different departments,” said Dr Wagh.
The hospital started the use of the prototype transportation chamber on Friday. Soon, it will be installed at the two other government-run hospitals— St George and GT Hospital. Each of them will cost around ₹50,000. “Dr Bhandarwar approached us to manufacture a portal where Covid-19 patients can be shifted safely with minimalist risk of spreading the virus. It took us around 10 days,” said Shrikant Mishra, CEO of Indomed Devices. The chamber can be upgraded further by incorporating UV-C lights which helps destroy the virus by altering the structure of its cell.
HT had reported earlier how despite wearing PPE regularly, medical staffers contract the virus through hospital crosstransmission. “When patients are being taken in elevators, the enclosed environment exposes them to the virus. Even though they wear PPE, it is extremely risky for them. As this chamber doesn’t let viruses out, there is no need to wear PPE,” said Dr Bhandarwar.