Add the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to the list of groups that have re-focused their efforts to help combat the global coronavirus pandemic. The same organization that put men on the moon has now developed a prototype ventilator that passed simulated human testing last week at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount […]
Tag: Public Health
Ultraviolet System to Sterilize Thousands of Masks Per Day
Ultraviolet light, particularly in the UVC range (280–100 nm), is known to inactivate microbes. During the current COVID-19 pandemic there’s a shortage of protective masks, particularly N95 masks that feature electrostatic filters. Cleaning such masks using liquids is not effective, as the electrostatic effect ends up neutralized, so a team at Rensselaer University created a […]
Microneedle Array for Universal Vaccine Delivery Developed
Microneedle arrays (MNAs) are a promising way of delivering vaccines into the body. They are nearly pain-free and can penetrate a substantial portion of the skin, which is considered an excellent place to inject vaccines because of the skin’s sensitive and very reactive immune network. Injecting small amounts of a vaccine strategically into the skin […]
COVID-19 Antibody Test: Interview with Chris Smith, CEO, Ortho Clinical Diagnostics
Testing has become a key issue during the COVID-19 pandemic, with many countries struggling to perform enough diagnostic tests because of a shortage of staff and resources. The response to COVID-19 has also involved a large-scale lock-down, with many people isolating at home and avoiding the workplace. The economic consequences of this COVID-related unemployment are […]
PVA Emergency Ventilator Ready for Production
PVA, a company based outside of Albany, New York that normally provides automation services to a wide variety of industries, has developed and is about to start producing its own emergency ventilator to help address the COVID-19 epidemic. The design is based on one that was approved by the United Kingdom’s Department of Health & […]
Yale’s Ventilator Splitter Receives FDA Emergency Use Authorization
Vent Multiplexor LLC announced that it received FDA Emergency Use Authorization for its device that can split a single ventilator so that it can be used by two patients simultaneously. The Vent Multiplexor device was developed by a team of students and faculty at Yale University and Yale New Haven Hospital. It is a patent-pending […]
CRISPR-Based Test to Diagnose COVID-19 in Less than One Hour
With the COVID-19 pandemic growing globally, new ways of detecting the infection is the need of the hour. University of California, San Francisco researchers have recently published a paper in Nature Biotechnology outlining their approach to diagnose COVID-19 infections from respiratory swabs using CRISPR. The test, called the SARS-CoV2 DETECTR assay, checks for the presence […]
Oxygen Concentrator for N95 Masks to Make Breathing Easier
Paramedics, ICU staff, and anyone else currently working with patients in any capacity is probably wearing a face mask for extended periods of time. N95 masks, which are easy to wear while providing substantial protection, can reduce the amount of oxygen reaching the lungs by up to 20%. This causes fatigue, may lower blood-oxygen saturation, […]
Low-Cost Ventilator from Home Depot Components: Interview with Glen Meyerowitz, UCLA Biodesign Fellow
The current shortage of ventilators during the COVID-19 pandemic has sparked significant innovation, including novel designs to split one ventilator into two, repurposing of existing devices to function as ventilators, and new solutions to reduce the need for ventilators. However, perhaps all of these innovations, and more, will be needed to account for the shortfall […]
B. Braun Infusion Pumps with Nebulizers Get FDA Emergency Authorization for COVID-19
Combining infusion pumps with nebulizers has been shown to help deliver nebulized medication to patients suffering from acute respiratory distress syndrome. Given the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the FDA has just issued Emergency Use Authorization for B. Braun’s Perfusor Space Syringe Infusion Pump, Infusomat Space Volumetric Infusion Pump, and Outlook ES Pump systems to deliver nebulized […]
TransAeris Diaphragm Pacing System Gets FDA Emergency Use Authorization for Quicker Ventilator Weaning
As hospitals face the possibility of ventilator shortages for COVID-19 patients, Synapse Biomedical announced that it received FDA Emergency Use Authorization for a device that helps wean patients off ventilators quicker. This, in turn, could free up ventilators for use by other patients. Weaning off of mechanical ventilation is a constant challenge in intensive care […]
Rapid Medical Device Manufacturing for COVID-19 Response: Interview with Vicki Holt, CEO, Protolabs
The COVID-19 pandemic rumbles on, and the response to contain and delay the virus is astronomical, with billions of dollars and enormous levels of labor and material resources being deployed to meet the challenge. One of the major bottlenecks in combatting the virus is a lack of testing supplies and essential equipment, such as respirators, […]
Drive-Through COVID Test Booth Developed at Penn State
A team of engineers at Pennsylvania State University, including faculty and students, has been working on a solution to protect staff at drive-through COVID-19 testing sites. The team, working separately in different locations around the university, designed a booth that provides a barrier between the individuals being tested and the person conducting the test. This […]
Blood Filtering Device Wins FDA Emergency Use Authorization for COVID-19
The FDA has issued the first Emergency Use Authorization for a device to help treat COVID-19 patients currently in the ICU. Terumo BCT’s Spectra Optia Apheresis System, combined with Marker Therapeutics’ D2000 Adsorption Cartridge, is now indicated for adult patients with COVID-19 udergoing respiratory failure. The device is intended to lower the levels of cytokines […]
Researchers Turn One Ventilator into Two
A group of clinicians, medtech researchers, and companies based in Galway, Ireland, has developed a system that allows two patients to use one ventilator, essentially doubling the effectiveness of existing ventilator stocks during the current COVID-19 pandemic. Called the Galway VentShare system, the technology consists of viral filters, valves, tubing, CO2 sensors, and pressure and […]
World’s First Indoor Disinfection Drone Ready to Fight COVID-19
In true timely fashion, Digital Aerolus, a global leader in autonomous technology for any vehicle that flies, drives, dives, or swims, has developed the first indoor drone with C-band ultraviolet (UVC) lights, created specifically to combat the spread of the COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) virus with a 99% disinfection rate. By using its patented technologies, the Aertos […]
Aranet Multi-Patient Temp Monitoring System Unveiled for COVID Clinics
Hospitals addressing the COVID-19 epidemic are worried about being short on ventilators, personal protective equipment, and appropriate bed space where patients can be treated. The biggest hurdle may be having enough staff to monitor large numbers of patients. To help address this matter, Aranet, a company that normally makes environmental monitoring solutions for industrial applications, […]
Electric Car Manufacturer Switches to Making Emergency Ventilators
Mullen Technologies, a company that’s aiming to soon start producing a high-performance electric car, has directed its engineering and manufacturing efforts into releasing an emergency ventilator for the current COVID-19 pandemic. The Mullen 8 ventilator, named for oxygen’s atomic number, is based on easily obtainable parts and will be mass-produced at the company’s Monrovia, California […]
Breast Pumps Converted Into Ventilators to Help COVID-19 Response
A team of engineers working at University of Maryland’s TechPort, typically a drone startup incubator, are converting breast pumps into rudimentary ventilators. Breast pumps create significant suction to pull milk out of a woman’s breast. Turns out the pressure, if reversed, can probably provide enough assistance to deliver the necessary positive end expiratory pressure that […]
CroResp Makeshift Respirator Mask for COVID-19 Pandemic: Interview with Ivor Kovic, MD
The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in significant shortages of PPE for medical staff. This is extremely concerning, as it means that clinicians can’t adequately protect themselves, and infections among medical staff will lead to staff shortages at a time when every member of staff is needed. Similarly, infections among clinicians could promote the spread of […]