AMCostaRica©















































Published Tuesday, May 5, 2020 
 
University donates devices for covid-19 patients in ICU, authorities report 337 active cases in the country


By the A.M. Costa Rica staff

The Technological University, TEC, donated to Social Security 54 intubation capsules for patients infected with covid-19, as the first part of a donation of more than 250 units.

Currently, there 337 active covid-19 patients in the country, of these 6 are hospitalized with delicate health conditions in the Intensive Care Unit, ICU,  in public hospitals, reported the ministry of Health on Monday.

A team of TEC researchers, technicians and students developed the capsules. These capsules are transparent cube devices meant to hold a patient's head that require an intubation or extubation process.

The goal of the capsule is to be a barrier that prevents direct contact between the aerosols expelled by the patient and the health personnel who care for them. Especially in cases where the patient coughs during the instrument entry process, thus protecting health care workers from a possible contagion of the virus, said Franklin Hernández-Castro, director of the University's School of Engineering.

According to Hernández, there are international studies indicating that the protection index provided by this device during the intubation or extubation process is 95 percent.

The development of the capsules began to take shape a little less than a month ago at the request of doctors from Max Peralta Hospital in Cartago to the Go Touch research group.

According to Ivonne Madrigal, a university researcher, the design work started from a similar device that was developed by a Taiwanese doctor, who gave it to the hospital.

"We researched, analyzed, and saw more blueprints of similar devices developed in other countries," Madrigal said.

Madrigal was in charge of several visits to the hospital to do the capsule tests in a short time, due to the haste in the pandemic situation in the country.

The working group consists of María Estrada, Ana Karina Pérez, Fabian Solís, Rebeca Madriz and Danilo Solano, said TEC in its statement.

The capsules have been distributed to a few Social Security hospitals and clinics, including Marcial Fallas Clinic in Desamparados, Carlos Durán Clinic in Zapote and Guapiles Hospital in Limón Province.

Also, the university team is in the process to manufacture 250 more capsules to donate to Social Security.

Last week, professors from the university announced that they are working on the design and construction of stretchers that will be donated to the Red Cross.



A stretcher is an apparatus used for moving patients who require medical care.

Specialists and professors from the School of Science and Engineering are developing a stretcher that, in addition to being easily disarmed, has a protective barrier to minimize the risk of exposure among paramedics who travel in ambulances and patients infected with covid-19.

"We determine that the Red Cross needs a device that is easy to install, clean and disinfects," said Álvaro Montero, Deputy Manager of Operations for the Costa Rican Red Cross. "Furthermore, once used, it can be disarmed and stored inside the ambulance, for future use."

According to Montero, the stretcher mobile device must be of low-production cost since the idea is to have at least one of these stretchers in each canton of the country.

Once the Red Cross authorities approve the stretcher prototype, they will coordinate the production process on a large scale with manufacturing companies. "This idea collaborates with both the Red Cross and economic activation," said the University in its statement.

The TEC team, made up of Teodolito Guillén, Ronald Brenes, Oscar Chaverri, José Luis León, Mario Leiva and Erick Sánchez, have donated the design, work time, materials and production design for the manufacturing of the stretchers.


These special stretchers are increasingly necessary given the cases of covid-19 infected people in the country.



According to the statistics provided by the authorities on Monday, there are 337 active patients infected with covid-19 in the country. Active patients are people who currently have the virus.

Authorities provided the following statistics related to the development of the covid-19 in the country.

- An increase of three new patients infected with the covid-19.

- The ages of those affected range from 1 to 87 with an average age of 37.

- 16 patients are being treated in public hospitals, where 10 are in recovery rooms and 6 have been reported in intensive care with delicate health conditions. The rest of the infected patients are quarantined in their homes.

- 399 coronavirus patients have fully recovered, of these 192 women and 207 men.

- So far, six deaths have been reported from patients infected with covid-19.

- Of the 742 infected people detected since the first case was discovered in March.

- 9,149 people have been ruled out.

The UNED University provides a daily updated number of total patients, active and recovered, in each district throughout the country at its 
Covid-19 Map.

As of Monday night, the pandemic has killed 251,059 patients worldwide according to recent statistics reported by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University.


-------------------------
Have you thought up a protective health device that could be manufactured in Costa Rica for the care of patients infected with covid-19?  
We would like to know your thoughts on this story. Send your comments to news@amcostarica.com




Facebook110217.jpg twitter110217.jpg
Subscribe110217.jpg