An improvised protective device for use when intubating patients designed by Taiwanese doctor Lai Hsien-yung (賴賢勇) is being adopted in the Philippines to help doctors there stay safe amid the worsening COVID-19 pandemic.
“We made this acrylic aerosol box for my sister Dra. Frances Legaspi for Antipolo Doctors Hospital. Credits to Dr Lai Hsien-yung for the concept and design,” Anton Legaspi, whose family owns a business that makes customized designs, said on Facebook on Monday.
The hospital is in Antipolo, about 25km east of Manila.
Photo: Wang Chun-chi, Taipei Times
Legaspi’s post was accompanied by several photographs of the box and a short demonstration video that was shot in the hospital. As of yesterday morning, his post was shared more than 60 times.
The “aerosol box” designed by Lai, an anesthesiologist at Mennonite Christian Hospital in Hualien, is a transparent cube made of acrylic that covers a patient’s head during endotracheal intubation, a necessary procedure for patients with the coronavirus who experience respiratory failure.
It has two holes on one side through which physicians can insert their hands to perform the procedure while shielded from the patient’s respiratory droplets.
Lai on Saturday shared his design on Facebook and gave permission for its noncommercial use. His invention was reported by the Central News Agency (CNA) and several other local media outlets.
Legaspi yesterday told CNA in an interview that he and his sister, an emergency room doctor, learned of the device on Sunday night through posts shared on social media and created the prototype the next morning, overcoming challenges caused by a lockdown of Metro Manila.
“We were lucky enough to get a supplier who had available stocks of raw materials. The workers at the shop live at the factory, so we were able to make it,” Legaspi said.
He said that his sister asked him if he could make such a box, because it was needed at the hospital as supplies of personal protective equipment in the Philippines are running low.
As of Monday afternoon, there were 462 confirmed COVID-19 cases in the Philippines, with 33 deaths and 18 patients who have recovered.
Legaspi’s version features larger holes to accommodate bigger arms.
Other suggestions he received from people in the medical field include making a small flap on the open side for additional maneuverability and protection, Legaspi said.
Donors and acrylic suppliers have pledged support for the production of the device, which would be donated to public and private hospitals nationwide, he said.
He estimated the cost of each aerosol box at 1,500 pesos (US$29.40), less than Lai’s estimate of about NT$2,000.
“It would be nice to have it mass-produced to cater to many more patients. It may still be used even after the COVID-19 pandemic,” Legaspi said.
US President Donald Trump said "it’s up to" Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) what China does on Taiwan, but that he would be "very unhappy" with a change in the "status quo," the New York Times said in an interview published yesterday. Xi "considers it to be a part of China, and that’s up to him what he’s going to be doing," Trump told the newspaper on Wednesday. "But I’ve expressed to him that I would be very unhappy if he did that, and I don’t think he’ll do that," he added. "I hope he doesn’t do that." Trump made the comments in
NOT AN OPENING: Trump’s violation of international law does not affect China’s consideration in attacking Taiwan; Beijing lacks capability, not precedent, an official said Taiwanese officials see the US’ capture of the president of Venezuela as a powerful deterrent to Beijing’s aggression and a timely reminder of the US’ ability to defeat militaries equipped with Chinese-made weapons. The strikes that toppled Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro signaled to authoritarian leaders, including Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), US President Donald Trump’s willingness to use military might for international affairs core to US interests, one senior official in Taipei’s security circle said. That reassured Taiwan, the person said. Taipei has also dismissed the idea that Trump’s apparent violation of international law could embolden Beijing, said the official, who was not
A cold surge advisory was today issued for 18 cities and counties across Taiwan, with temperatures of below 10°C forecast during the day and into tonight, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. New Taipei City, Taipei, Taoyuan and Hsinchu, Miaoli and Yilan counties are expected to experience sustained temperatures of 10°C or lower, the CWA said. Temperatures are likely to temporarily drop below 10°C in most other areas, except Taitung, Pingtung, Penghu and Lienchiang (Matsu) counties, CWA data showed. The cold weather is being caused by a strong continental cold air mass, combined with radiative cooling, a process in which heat escapes from
Snow this morning fell on Alishan for the first time in seven years, as a strong continental cold air mass sent temperatures plunging across Taiwan, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The Alishan weather station, located at an elevation of about 2,200m in central Taiwan, recorded snowfall from 8:55am to 9:15am, when the temperature dropped to about 1°C, the CWA said. With increased moisture and low temperatures in the high-altitude Alishan area, the conditions were favorable for snow, CWA forecaster Tsai Yi-chi (蔡伊其) said. The last time snow fell at the Alishan weather station was on Jan. 10, 2018, while graupel fell there
RSS