Asian medic hopes to Snap Covid spread
THOUSANDS of innovative new coronavirus-safe face masks created by an Asian surgeon and his colleague in the UK are being offered free to NHS clinics to stop patients from accidentally spreading Covid-19 to ear, nose and throat (ENT) medics.
Dr Ajith George, from the Royal Stoke University Hospital in Stoke-on-Trent, created the SNAP device along with fellow ENT surgeon Chris Coulson as a practical response to the Covid-19 crisis.
Their product was developed in collaboration with engineers at Aston University and specialist UK-based manufacturing firms.
“It’s incredibly exciting to see this device going from concept to reality so quickly,” said Dr George.
“As working surgeons, our innovation work is driven by creating things we would want to use ourselves. Covid-19 has led to heightened awareness about the spread of disease in clinical environments, so we see the SNAP device having practical applications during the pandemic and beyond,” he added.
The SNAP device – comprising a two-part valve and speculum – clips onto either side of a standard surgical face mask, creating a hole for an endoscope to be inserted and for patients to keep their nose and mouth covered.
There has since been interest in the device from as far afield as the US, Australia, Japan, the Netherlands and the Philippines.
Many hospitals have had to reduce the number of nasendoscopies they can perform. Around 500,000 procedures are performed in the NHS each year, typically to diagnose and treat diseases affecting the nose and throat including cancer and serious infections.
The technique is also used in speech and language therapy, in which patients practise speaking with a tube inserted.
It is hoped the new protective device will help address the scaleback in the procedures.