Innovation and development of a ‘Negative Pressure Isolation Canopy’ for Covid-19 patients under the joint leadership of the University of Dhaka and BSMMU
Viruses discharged by patients, who are infected by Covid-19, pose a great risk to other patients and health workers in a hospital environment. To reduce this risk a way out is to cover the surroundings of the patient and drawing the air out, creating a negative pressure environment. Negative pressure surrounding is a must in infection control, to ensure infectious germs don’t spread via the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system and eliminate cross-contamination.
A negative pressure room is particularly crucial when something like coronavirus disease (COVID-19) strikes-this new virulent killer is too much of an unknown quantity to take even the smallest chances of spreading. But the need for such rooms can put extreme stress on hospitals, which are not always ready to handle influxes of infected patients-let alone in the massive numbers of the COVID-19 pandemic.Of course, the doctors and other health-workers are not free from risk. A team of researchers from several organizations, under the leadership of Professor Khondkar Siddique-e Rabbani, Founder Chairperson and presently Honorary Professor of the Department of Biomedical Physics & Technology of the University of Dhaka, developed a ‘Negative Pressure Isolation Canopy’ completely indigenously that will cover the whole of a patient on a hospital bed to isolate from all others.This traps and keeps potentially harmful particles within the negative pressure isolation canopy by preventing internal air from leaving the space and protect people outside the isolation canopy from exposure.Besides, the canopy covering the patient are transparent and are reasonably high so that a patient does not feel uncomfortable.
The design of Professor Rabbani’s team uses an additional ultraviolet light (UVC) chamber to destroy all microorganisms and viruses first before cleaning the air further using a HEPA filter.Using UV light in a filtration system sterilizes particles and reduces viruses (such as coronavirus) in the quarantine space, helping to protect healthcare workers who enter the room to service the quarantined patient. Therefore, the quality of this canopy is better than any similar device available in the world. Its cost will also be much less than similar devices from foreign countries. Since the technology is home grown, there will be guarantee for repairs for many years of use. Under the overall supervision of the Department of Biomedical Physics and Technology, Bi-BEAT limited is now ready to fabricate and supply such units to any hospital in the country. The researchers hope that, this Negative Pressure Isolation Canopy, a result of their passionate and tireless efforts during this period of crisis, will be used in the country’s hospitals and will help save many lives and provide security to doctors and other health-workers, the frontline warriors against the Covid-19 pandemic.
For any query-
Md. Al-Amin, Research Engineer, BMPT, DU
Mobile: 01933322691
E-mail: amineee@bmpt.du.ac.bd