The design and manufacture of 3D‐printed adjuncts for powered air‐purifying respirators

Abstract

Summary Spurred in part by literature published in the immediate aftermath of the severe acute respiratory syndrome epidemic in 2003, powered air‐purifying respirators have seen increased use worldwide during the COVID‐19 pandemic. Whereas these devices provide excellent protection of the user, there is an added element of risk during doffing and cleaning of the device. An additional layer of barrier protection, in the form of a polypropylene gown, to be worn over the hood and motor belt, can be used to minimise this risk. However, the device entrains air perpendicular to the lie of the gown, resulting in the impermeable material being sucked into the air intake, and partial occlusion of flow. In this report, we describe a clinical‐academic partnership whereby a bespoke filter guard was designed to disrupt airflow and prevent gown entrainment, thereby enabling full barrier protection of both the device and user. This intervention was simple, cheap, scalable and able to be mass produced.

The personal protective equipment fabricated via 3D printing technology during COVID-19

“… Ventilation devices FDM [43] 18. Air-purifying respirators Not specified [44] *FDM- fused deposition modelling, SLA- Stereolithography, SLS- Selective laser sintering …”

A look to the future: Pandemic-induced digital technologies in vascular surgery

“…A key advantage to 3D printing technology is the ability to create highly customized, personalized devices and implants at small volume, and with a short turnaround time between design, prototyping, redesign, and manufacture—a capacity that has been put to extensive use during the COVID-19 pandemic to supplement the shortage of personal protective equipment [119] . This has prompted extensive debate and consideration of regulatory mechanisms for personalized and 3D-printed medical devices.…”

Case reports in the COVID‐19 pandemic: first responders to an emergency in evidence‐based medicine

“…Innovation is a requirement in addressing a novel pathogen, and our published reports demonstrate widespread evidence of anaesthetists acting as innovators to overcome challenges presented during the crisis. Miles et al developed a simple 3Dprinted device to allow powered air-purifying respirators to be worn under protective gowns without obstruction of the air inlet [16]. Their report demonstrates the benefits of clinical-academic collaboration to develop a cheap, scalable and rapidly practice in order to safeguard staff safety [17].…”