UC professors and students design a COVID-19 testing booth
The unit protects health care personnel during sample taking without the risk of exposure to the virus.
photo_camera Using rubber gauntlet gloves embedded into the booth, the health care professional can slide in their hands to test the person on the other side of the glass. Its design provides full visibility and control during the procedure.
Faculty members and students from the UC School of Engineering, supported by the company Morex, designed a coronavirus screening booth that is easy to use in open spaces, which guarantees no contact between the patient and the person performing the test.
The initiative is part of the interdisciplinary work group promoted by the Office of the Vice President for Research, together with the Faculty of Medicine, the Innovation Center and other university faculties. The work group seeks to contribute new ideas to face the peak of the pandemic.
“This unit isolates health care personnel from the outside in a booth that has positive pressure, delivered by high efficiency filters, known as HEPA. We have been working on this proposal for the last three weeks,” said Alvaro Videla, the engineering professor leading the project.
These systems are similar to those used in operating rooms, which remove 99.9% of particles such as bacteria and viruses. These air filters prevent the transmission of said particles inside the booths.
“This is one of many initiatives that the school is promoting to support health care personnel, who are under great levels of stress. This booth is important because it enables them to act and care for patients with full and total safety,” said Videla.
The faculty member appreciated the support given by Morex in the development of a solution proposed by the Sociedad Chilena de Medicina de Urgencia (Chilean Society of Emergency Medicine) and the medical staff of the Temuco Hospital, which would allow them to take samples without the risk of exposing their personnel to the virus.
Using rubber gauntlet gloves embedded into the booth, the health care professional can slide in their hands to test the person on the other side of the glass. Its design provides full visibility and control during the procedure.
This booth is important because it enables them to act and care for patients with full and total safety. - Álvaro Videla, engineering professor leading the project.
Once the sample is taken and stored by the person taking the test, the gloves are disinfected with quaternary ammonium and the next patient can be tested.
The proposed booth isolates the health care personnel in a booth that has positive pressure, delivered by high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA).
The project will began its experimental phase in June at the Temuco Hospital. Meanwhile, the engineers are developing another five units, which are expected to be delivered this month to other health care centers in the Metropolitan Region.
Tests
Based on the number of tests performed per thousand inhabitants, Chile surpasses all other countries in the region, with a daily average of 0.8 tests, followed by Uruguay (0.24), Colombia (0.16), Peru (0.13), Paraguay (0,09), Argentina (0.08) and Bolivia (0.03).
