Free University of Brussels issued the following announcement on April 1.
The Covid-19 epidemic is a real challenge for medical personnel. And the shortage of equipment (masks, gloves, artificial respirators) has stimulated the creativity of some doctors. Today, in several hospitals, the famous diving masks from Decathlon are used as artificial respirators. This is the case at Erasme Hospital, we were able to discover in a report by RTBF.
The idea was born in Italy, where a hospital produced a prototype equipped with a valve installed in place of the tuba, at the top of the mask, making it possible to make the link with a respirator and to supply a patient with pressurized air. Hospitals in other countries have followed the Italian example, each going for their little adaptation. At Erasme Hospital, Frédéric Bonnier, physiotherapist in intensive care and professor of respiratory physiotherapy at ULB , studied the Italian plans.
"The valve designed by the Italians seemed to us quite complicated to manufacture, quite heavy, not very convenient, and therefore we had the idea to push the thinking a little bit further and develop our own connection ourselves ",. Valves have been ordered and are printed in 3D in the premises of the ULB spin-off “Endo Tools Therapeutics” located in Gosselies.
These masks are used for " patients who have severe respiratory problems. The aim is to avoid having to intubate the patient's trachea and put them on the respirator ", which is the ultimate deterioration of the disease, explains Frédéric Bonnier in the columns of La Libre.
Diving masks could also be a temporary solution for patients requiring intensive care but for whom a bed and a respirator are not available. They are connected to several filters and nozzles as well as a tube and a machine supplying pressurized air, helping patients to breathe better. Their advantage and allow to ventilate the patient for longer periods thanks to its comfort.
At the request of the ISPPC-CHU in Charleroi and in collaboration with the Laboratory of Experimental Medicine (ULB), the FabLab in Charleroi Métropole also 3D prints the adapter for Decathlon masks.
According to a press release from the Belga press agency, Decathlon " blocked " on Monday evening online sales of its " Easybreath " diving mask in France, in order to " reserve and offer " the 30,000 masks available to caregivers who want " the 'adapt ' in the fight against Covid-19.
Original source: https://actus.ulb.be/fr/actus/institution-et-engagements/de-celebres-masques-de-plongee-deviennent-des-respirateurs-artificiels-a-l-hopital-erasme
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