Scientists call for support on equipment to help covid-19 patients

Published Friday, June 19, 2020

Scientists call for support on
equipment to help covid-19 patients

By the A.M. Costa Rica staff

Researchers from the University of Costa Rica announced on Thursday the manufacturing of the first non-invasive equipment with a built-in isolation mask, which improves the breathing of treating patients with covid-19.

According to specialists, the equipment successfully passed preclinical tests and the proven safety parameters.

"The device is named Fluxus Mask... what follows is to find financial support and final authorization from the Ministry of Health for its mass production," the University said in its statement.

The creation of the first Fluxus Mask ventilator is led by the Medical School.

The specialists in charge of the Fluxus Mask project are Jean Carlo Segura Aparicio, Ph.D.; Lizbeth Salazar Sánchez, Ph.D. from the School of Medicine, and Olman Coronado García, Ph.D., a respiratory therapist from Social Security.

According to the university, Fluxus Mask has four important qualities that will make it possible to use it in medical centers and ambulances. Including rural areas of the country, such as the Northern Zone, where an increase in cases of covid-19 is visible.

The first advantage is that the mechanism does not depend on electrical energy to function. Second, the intubation of the patient is not required.

Third, by having an isolation mask for the sick person, healthcare personnel significantly reduce the risk of becoming infected when providing care. Also, this will accrue less use of personal protective equipment, making it low-cost for hospitals.

According to Segura, the standard ventilator or respirator is priced at approximately $10,000, while the cost of manufacturing the Fluxus Mask is $2,000.

The fundamental idea of the Fluxus Mask is to prevent the patient from reaching a critical stage in which he requires intubation in an intensive care unit.

This would benefit the patient toward a speedy recovery. And it would free up equipment for other patients, while decreasing the costs of medical equipment for Social Security, said the University in its statement.

Furthermore, the medical supplies required for its manufactures, such as filters, valves, or tubes, are widely available in Costa Rica. Therefore, the entire production can be carried out in the country.

"Right now we have a significant increase in people infected with covid-19 and this device may be needed, mainly, in rural areas," said Lizbeth Salazar-Sánchez, director of the School of Medicine.

The Fluxus Mask can be adapted to all Social Security hospital oxygen installations and transfer units, without requiring additional space for its installation. Likewise, the equipment can be adjusted to give nebulization to asthmatic patients who have covid-19.

According to Miguel Imbach Bartol, a representative of the private company Lucas Electro Hidraulica, who helped the university manufacture the equipment, the origin of Fluxus Mask is inspired by diving. This device works as a second modified diving cap.

"The diving equipment uses a cylinder of compressed air, the element of which comes out with force when the valve is opened," the University said in its statement. "This can be used for patients with respiratory difficulties to avoid a collapse in the lungs."

The device allows oxygen to be administered to the patient in two ways: continuous flow or on-demand. With only a minimal effort the patient makes to breathe, the ventilatory support will provide the oxygen needed to strengthen the lungs.

Specialists call on the public and private companies to help them with financing the manufacturing of the respiratory masks.

For more information on this project contact Segura at 506 2511-5910 or by email, jean.seguraaparicio@ucr.ac.cr

According to the Health Ministry, as of Thursday afternoon, there was an increase of 68 new cases of patients infected with covid-19, bringing the total to 990 active cases.

Authorities provided the following statistics of the evolution of the virus in the country:

• The ages of those infected range from a three-month-old baby to a 92-year-old.

• 937 coronavirus patients have fully recovered.

• 25 patients are being treated in public hospitals, where 22 are in recovery rooms and 3 have been reported in an Intensive Care Unit, ICU, with delicate health conditions. Most of the infected patients are quarantined in their homes.

• Of the total infected cases 504 are foreigners.

• 23,588 people have been ruled out.

• 33,780 medical covid-19 tests have been made.

• 12 deaths have been reported from patients infected with covid-19 since March, three women and nine men.

The updated number of total patients in each district can be reached at the National Distance Education University on its Covid-19 Map.

As of Friday morning, the pandemic has killed 457,024 patients worldwide, according to recent statistics reported by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University.

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Should the government finance the University project with the budget that has been obtained due to loans and donations to face the covid-19 crisis? We would like to know your thoughts on this story. Send your comments to news@amcostarica.com