UF doctor invents new type of mask
Creation could help offset supply shortage
GAINESVILE – Dr. Bruce Spiess has a tough time turning off his brain.
A little less than two weeks ago, with coronavirus closing in, the 65-year-old’s fertile mind was in overdrive.
While the rest of Gainesville slumbered, Spiess’ subconscious was focused on saving lives and addressing the stunning shortage of N95 pro- tective masks used to guard against the disease.
“There’s constantly ideas bombarding through my brain,” Spiess, a professor of anesthesiology at UF, said. “At 2 o’clock in the morning, I sort of had an aha moment.”
Spiess’ restless night’s sleep could prove to be a critical breakthrough for those on the frontlines battling coronavirus.
Protective masks fashioned
from once-discarded material used to keep surgical instruments sterile could be a savior for overwhelmed medical facilities, where personnel can be at serious risk of illness.
The availability, distribution and production of highly protective N95 masks have not been able to keep up with the worldwide surge in coronavirus cases.
Spiess’ ingenuity might save the day. In time, his mask could rank as the latest discovery hatched on a campus known for innovation.
UF currently is seeking patent rights for the mask.
“Right now, my first and primary focus is to save a bunch of people,” Spiess said. “Would I like it to be as big as Gatorade? Sure. My goal, however, is much more immediate — to make sure we save some lives around the world.”
Turns out, Spiess’ discovery was right under his nose as he worked as an anesthesiologist during open-heart surgeries.
“As I say, if you woke up next to me, you had a bad day,” he said.
Leading up to surgery, Spiess long had observed surgical trays encased in an impenetrable blue fabric that soon would be discarded.
A faithful recycler, the Pittsburgh native wondered if there was a better place than the local landfill for a material — Halyard H600 — that serves as a barrier between airborne bacteria and the tools surgeon’s use.
“To keep the surgical instruments clean for a long period of time it has to be damn near impervious to everything,” Spiess said.
The day following his early morning epiphany, Spiess researched the material’s specifications and learned it blocks more than 99% of outside particles — or 4% more than N95 masks, according to product descriptions.
During his next surgery, Spiess held a piece of the material firmly to his face.
“I could breathe fine through it,” he said.
The realization set the wheels in motion for an inspired community effort that is beginning to have a worldwide reach.
Spiess said he and some colleagues, including staff normally involved with elective surgeries now put on hold, first closely inspected an N95 mask before designing potential models of a new mask made with Halyard H600. Within a week, the group had produced a prototype ready to be tested and designed for an ideal fit.
Meanwhile, Spiess’ wife enlisted the help of a group of about 60 women on Facebook who were sewing cotton masks under the direction of Pegeen Hanrahan, a Gainesville mayor from 2004 to 2010.
“In the better part of a week, we had a cottage industry going,” Spiess said.
Shands Hospital now saves every bit of Halyard H600 and packages it for pick-up. More than 300 volunteers now are helping sew masks. Costume designers in UF’s Theater Department are expected to pitch in, too. Local companies able to cut large amounts of fabric quickly have become involved.
“It’s really become a whole community effort, which is very cool,” Spiess said.
Based on his overflowing email inbox, Spiess realizes the rest of the nation and concerned citizens around the world have taken notice and joined his effort.
He said a group in Seattle is producing 2,500 masks a day based on the Spiess-inspired design. China, Australia, Romania and other nations have been in touch with Spiess.
“All the way to India they’re making these masks,” he said.
A 4 x 4-foot sheet of Halyard 600 can produce three dozen masks. Spiess said the goal in Gainesville is to produce 1,000 masks a day as the network of volunteers continues to grow.
Mass production could be on the horizon. Spiess said he’s in discussions with a Fortune 500 company looking to make 100,000 masks daily.
Yet, Spiess also is not getting ahead of himself, emphasizing these masks should not and cannot serve as a replacement for the N95. Each day, a random emailer is sure to remind him.
“If you have an N95, use an N95,” Spiess said. “Do not use this if you are caring for a COVID patient. But if you have to be in a hospital and you’re walking around the wards and you’re just doing your job, wouldn’t you want something with as high a filtering capability as possible?
“That’s where I’m coming from and usually that shuts them up.”
Routine surgical masks keep out roughly 50 to 80% of dangerous particles.
These masks were swept off the shelves and sold out online as coronavirus spread. A review Wednesday evening of Amazon.com showed surgical masks are not available for delivery until at least mid-May.
But Spiess does not plan to offer his mask as an alternative for masses, either — at least any time soon.
UF hospitals could use close to 25,000 masks, while Gainesville’s North Florida Regional Medical Center, the local VA and emergency workers need them, too.
Spiess said cotton masks eventually could include a pocket where a portion of his mask serves as a filter.
“The things we’re sewing right now cannot be given to the general public because the people on the front lines are at the highest risks,” he said “But some day, maybe. The materials work, no doubt about it.”