Given that COVID-19 is easily spread via air-borne transmission, researchers from the gastroenterology departments at the Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine and the Japan Community Health Care Organization's Sendai Hospital set out to create a device capable of catching droplets without causing further discomfort to patients.
The new device comprises a mouthpiece equipped with a fixing belt and a nonwoven fabric to cover the patient's face, thereby capturing aerosol droplets.
The square, nonwoven fabric is attached to the tips of the mouthpiece using symmetric cuts made by scissors. An x-shaped incision at the center of the fabric acts as a sleeve for the endoscope - providing minimal interference.
Special care was taken in choosing the fabric. Having a tight enclosure would exposure patients to respiratory stress and risk choking if vomiting. The nonwoven fabric maintains high elasticity and air permeability, providing minimal discomfort for the patient.
"This device is expected to capture the coarse droplets from subjects undergoing an EGD and to reduce the diffusion of aerosol droplets," exclaimed Doctor Hiroyuki Endo, the corresponding author of the paper. "In addition to existing personal protective equipment, this simple and inexpensive device can be used as a standard precaution in every EGD."
MEDICA-tradefair.com; Source: Tohoku University
