A NEGATIVE PRESSURE ISOLATION BOX TO PROTECT HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS AND WORKERS
Patients with COVID-19 often produce small particles called droplets and “aerosols” from coughing, sneezing, or during procedures such as airway intubation. In these conditions, health care professionals and workers in close vicinity are at higher risk of “airborne transmission”—being infected by the virus-containing airborne particles or aerosols. With the nation’s current shortage in personal protective equipment, protecting the health of healthcare professionals and workers is even more critical during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Creating an innovative device
A group of surgeons, anesthesiologists, and engineers led by Dr. Hau Le of the Department of Surgery at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health has developed a novel device. Called the Box for Aerosol and Droplet Guarding and Extraction in Respiratory infection (BADGER), it was created by combining the concept of the “intubation shield” with a negative pressure room. The BADGER uses negative pressure to reduce airborne transmission from patients who have COVID-19 to doctors, nurses, respiratory therapists, and workers who care for them.
How the Badger works
- Patients suspected of having COVID-19 or testing positive for the virus will have the BADGER placed over their heads with the proper seal.
- The BADGER prevents direct splashing of patients’ droplets onto healthcare professionals who perform procedures on them.
- Slight negative pressure is created by continuous suction applied to the BADGER. Negative pressure inside the BADGER creates one-way airflow, drawing air from outside into the box, and preventing aerosols inside the box from escaping into the surrounding space.
- To prevent cross-contamination, suspended aerosols inside the BADGER are filtered and removed by vacuum suction.
The BADGER was designed, engineered, and tested at University of Wisconsin-Madison in collaboration with the UW Makerspace, Sector67 and the University of Wisconsin-Madison College of Engineering. The BADGER has been approved for use by UW Health.
