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Visualization of a helmet designed to prevent the transmission of COVID-19 by pumping air from the mouth to the helmet s vacuum port. Helmet design protects dentists, doctors from COVID-19
January 26, 2021
Visiting the dentist or an ear, nose and throat doctor can already make patients feel uneasy, and for those who can’t wear a mask due to the nature of their procedures, the transmission of COVID-19 has become an additional concern.
Researchers from Cornell have proposed a solution in the form of a transparent helmet that prevents 99.6% of virus-containing droplets exhaled by patients from reaching the environment. The helmet provides practitioners access to the patient’s nose and mouth and is connected to a filtration pump that reverses the flow of air to prevent droplets from leaving, avoiding contamination of the clinical environment.
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IMAGE: In Physics of Fluids, researchers discuss their design of an open-faced helmet for patient use that is connected to a medical-grade air filtration pump from the top that creates a. view more
Credit: Image by Dongjie Jia
WASHINGTON, January 12, 2021 The risk of infection of COVID-19 is high for medical specialists who come in contact with symptomatic or asymptomatic patients. Dentists and otolaryngologists are at particular risk, since they need direct access to the mouth, nose, and throat of patients.
The current solutions, which include wearing N95 masks and face shields, clinic room evacuation, negative pressure rooms, and special air filtration systems, are expensive, not highly effective, and not very accessible.