Easily sterilized mask developed
Brigham and Women’s Hospital invention is in prototype phase
A comfortable, reusable face mask developed by researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital can be sterilized and has filters similar to those of an N95 mask, offering protection and function as the battle against COVID-19 wears on.
“This was born right at the beginning of the pandemic, we had been talking about the need for PPE and trying to generate new PPE that can protect a lot of our health care workers,” said Dr. James Byrne, co-lead author on the proof-of-concept study of the Injection Molded Autoclavable, Scalable, Conformable (iMASC) system.
The mask alternative, still in a prototype phase, is made using injection molding from sterilizable materials and disposable filters.
The silicone rubber used in the mask is easily accessible and can withstand intense heat that could be used in the sterilization process.
Dr. Giovanni Traverso, a gastroenterologist and biomedical engineer at Brigham and Women’s said the mask is going through a second clinical trial now with hopes of deploying it to the general public in the next couple of months.
“We are really trying to push forward to get these systems out there to help folks,” said Traverso.
The unique system can easily change in size, is comfortable and is reusable and it is also easier on the environment, said Byrne, as it creates less waste than standard face masks.
Another important feature of the mask is that it is clear, so others can see one’s facial expression.
“That is really important to us because as physicians and health care providers in general, we want to maximize that interaction with other people,” said Byrne.
He added, “Face masks can really change the dynamic between folks and that can certainly have an impact on the health care provider and patient experience.”
The team tested different sterilization techniques on the masks including soaking it in a bleach solution and in isopropanol.
While those soaking cycles made the masks slightly stiffer, there were no large differences in the sterilized masks compared to the masks before sterilization.
Health-care workers also gave positive feedback on the new masks, with more than half of 20 Brigham and Women’s participants involved in a fit test saying that would be willing to use the system instead of a surgical mask.
A quarter of the participants even said they would prefer the iMASC system instead of an N95 mask.
“This is extremely close to everyone’s home, we are all affected and there’s nothing like trying to contribute to (solutions to) problems that are immediately tangible,” said Traverso.