By Our Staff Reporter
Dehradun, 9 Aug: One of the young doctors of Shri Mahant Indiresh Hospital, Dr Gaurav Pathak, has made an intubation box for the protection of doctors and healthcare workers fighting against Covid-19.
Amongst doctors, the anaesthesiologists play a very crucial role in the fight against Covid-19 in the ICU and Emergency room with their command on the airway and critical care skills which are very crucial in dealing with critically ill patients.
The procedure of intubation involves placing a plastic tube through the mouth into the trachea (wind pipe) of patients and is one of most dangerous scenarios confronting health care providers fighting in the front lines of the pandemic. Intubation is performed in critically ill patients having respiratory problems and they are placed on a ventilator. Intubation is also performed commonly in the operation theatres for safely anaesthetizing a patient for surgery.
Patients often cough during the procedure, which can result in the spread of droplets and aerosols. Even if a doctor or nurse is wearing a face mask, there is a risk of being infected if droplets are not contained. Even when the patient merely breathes, there is a risk that contaminated aerosolized particles will remain suspended in the air for almost 30 minutes and spread the virus.
Dr Gaurav Pathak has made an Intubation box which will provide maximum safety to the doctors and healthcare workers involved during in intubation procedure in the ICU/Operation theatre/Emergency room.
He has named it ‘Kavach’.
Intubation is an ‘Aerosol generating procedure’. If this procedure is performed after placing the intubation box, Kavach, on the patient, the risk of viral contraction by the doctors and healthcare workers is nullified. This intubation box has several new and modernised features. It is made of 3 millimeters thickness acrylic sheet making it light and strong enough to maintain its structure. It can be transported very easily. It provides extra space on the side for the assistant during intubation procedure.
The 2 openings from where the doctor performing intubation will insert his hands inside the box are guarded with specialised rubber gloves so that the droplets cannot escape from the box even through these holes. This is a significant improvement over other boxes. The gloves can be removed and replaced easily from time to time. The size of the box has been carefully decided accordingly to be used in ICU/Operation theatres and Emergency room. A salient feature of Kavach is its Reusability. It can be used multiple times after a simple cleaning by any alcohol based cleaning solution/disinfectant. It is also much cheaper than the US version.
Dr Gaurav Pathak adds that this intubation box can replace PPE kits at the time of intubation. A patent request for ‘Kavach’ has been filed him. He made the box under the guidance of Dr Robina Makker, Professor and Cardiac Anaesthesiologist, Mahant Hospital. He also expressed gratitude to his colleague in the department, Dr Nidhi Dubey for her significant support.
Mahant Hospital Medical Superintendent Dr. Vinay Rai and Principal of Shri Guru Ram Rai institute of Medical and Health sciences, Dr Anil Kumar Mehta, have expressed their congratulations.
