scholarly journals Applying heat and humidity using stove boiled water for decontamination of N95 respirators in low resource settings

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (9) ◽  
pp. e0255338
Author(s):  
Siddharth Doshi ◽  
Samhita P. Banavar ◽  
Eliott Flaum ◽  
Surendra Kulkarni ◽  
Ulhas Vaidya ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Low Resource Settings ◽  
Low Resource ◽  
Surgical Masks ◽  
Temperature And Humidity ◽  
Similar Temperature ◽  
N95 Respirators ◽  
Electricity Access ◽  
Uv C

Global shortages of N95 respirators have led to an urgent need of N95 decontamination and reuse methods that are scientifically validated and available world-wide. Although several large scale decontamination methods have been proposed (hydrogen peroxide vapor, UV-C); many of them are not applicable in remote and low-resource settings. Heat with humidity has been demonstrated as a promising decontamination approach, but care must be taken when implementing this method at a grassroots level. Here we present a simple, scalable method to provide controlled humidity and temperature for individual N95 respirators which is easily applicable in low-resource settings. N95 respirators were subjected to moist heat (>50% relative humidity, 65–80°C temperature) for over 30 minutes by placing them in a sealed container immersed in water that had been brought to a rolling boil and removed from heat, and then allowing the containers to sit for over 45 minutes. Filtration efficiency of 0.3–4.99 μm incense particles remained above 97% after 5 treatment cycles across all particle size sub-ranges. This method was then repeated at a higher ambient temperature and humidity in Mumbai, using standard utensils commonly found in South Asia. Similar temperature and humidity profiles were achieved with no degradation in filtration efficiencies after 6 cycles. Higher temperatures (>70°C) and longer treatment times (>40 minutes) were obtained by insulating the outer vessel. We also showed that the same method can be applied for the decontamination of surgical masks. This simple yet reliable method can be performed even without electricity access using any heat source to boil water, from open-flame stoves to solar heating, and provides a low-cost route for N95 decontamination globally applicable in resource-constrained settings.

scholarly journals Applying Heat and Humidity using Stove Boiled Water for Decontamination of N95 Respirators in Low Resource Settings

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Siddharth Doshi ◽  
Samhita Banavar ◽  
Eliott Flaum ◽  
Shailabh Kumar ◽  
Tyler Chen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Treatment Time ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Simple Method ◽  
Low Resource Settings ◽  
Low Resource ◽  
Moist Heat ◽  
Reported Data ◽  
N95 Respirators ◽  
Boiled Water

AbstractGlobal shortages of N95 masks have led to an urgent need of N95 decontamination and reuse methods that are scientifically validated and available globally. Although several large scale decontamination methods have been proposed (hydrogen peroxide vapor, UV-C); many of them are not applicable in remote and low resource settings. Heat with humidity has been demonstrated as a promising decontamination approach, but care must be taken when implementing this method at a grassroots level. Here we present a simple method to provide stable humidity and temperature for individual N95 masks which can be simply scaled in low resource settings. Moist heat (>50% humidity, 65-80C temperature) was applied to Kimberly-Clark N95 respirators for over 30 minutes by placing sealed containers with N95 respirators into water that had been brought to a rolling boil and removed from heat, and then allowing the containers to sit for over 45 minutes. After rising to their threshold points, temperature and humidity remained above 65C and 50% for a treatment time of at least 30 minutes. Filtration efficiency of 0.3-4.99um particles remained above 97% after 5 treatment cycles across all particle size sub-ranges, which is consistent with previously-reported data for similar heat and humidity conditions on different N95 FFR models. Although no fit tests were conducted on these masks after treatment, prior data on moist heat based treatment indicates consistent fit for up to five cycles of decontamination. This method of applying heat and humidity for the purpose of N95 respirator decontamination can be implemented on open flame stoves for low resource settings without reliable electricity access or where other methods of decontamination are not accessible. Higher temperatures or longer treatment times, such as treatment at >70C for over 30 minutes, could be achieved by increasing the volumes of boiled water used. Although fresh N95 masks should always be used - whenever available - we believe this simple yet reliable method provides a low cost, electricity free method for N95 decontamination in remote parts of the world.

scholarly journals Low-Cost, Accessible Fabrication Methods for Microfluidics Research in Low-Resource Settings

Micromachines ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (9) ◽  
pp. 461 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hoang-Tuan Nguyen ◽  
Ha Thach ◽  
Emmanuel Roy ◽  
Khon Huynh ◽  
Cecile Perrault
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Scientific Community ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Microfluidic Devices ◽  
Research Community ◽  
Access To Healthcare ◽  
Healthcare Industry ◽  
Low Resource Settings ◽  
Limited Access ◽  
Low Resource

Microfluidics are expected to revolutionize the healthcare industry especially in developing countries since it would bring portable, easy-to-use, self-contained diagnostic devices to places with limited access to healthcare. To date, however, microfluidics has not yet been able to live up to these expectations. One non-negligible factor can be attributed to inaccessible prototyping methods for researchers in low-resource settings who are unable to afford expensive equipment and/or obtain critical reagents and, therefore, unable to engage and contribute to microfluidics research. In this paper, we present methods to create microfluidic devices that reduce initial costs from hundreds of thousands of dollars to about $6000 by using readily accessible consumables and inexpensive equipment. By including the scientific community most embedded and aware of the requirements of healthcare in developing countries, microfluidics will be able to increase its reach in the research community and be better informed to provide relevant solutions to global healthcare challenges.

scholarly journals Actions of a Brazilian public telehealth service to help coping with the new coronavirus

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
L B Silva ◽  
L A P Sousa ◽  
R E Resende ◽  
A A Fortini ◽  
C G Pessoa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
General Population ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Ventilatory Support ◽  
Medical Specialties ◽  
Low Resource Settings ◽  
Low Resource ◽  
Telehealth Service ◽  
Resource Setting

Abstract Background In January/2020 the respiratory disease caused by the new coronavirus was declared as an international public health emergency. In Brazil, until June 22nd there were 1,11 million confirmed cases. In this context, the Telehealth Network of Minas Gerais (TNMG), a large-scale public telehealth service, acted quickly to assist professionals and the population in coping with the disease, mainly in low resource settings. Aim To report the experience of a Brazilian public telehealth service in actions to manage COVID-19 and its impacts. Methods Experience report. Results The TNMG developed 15 infographics and 16 web lectures for health professionals and general population about key themes, such as respiratory syndromes, personal care and ventilatory support. Two of them were live, seen in real time by 13,422 professionals, mainly nurses (63.8%) and doctors (31.1%), from 45 medical specialties (most family physicians-34.0%), in all Brazilian states, especially the Southeast region (58.5%). All lectures were uploaded on TNMG's Youtube channel, each one reaching 5,300 viewers on average. Specific to support health professionals: 2 guidelines were developed - one for primary care units and other to emergency/intensive care; a category for offline (second opinion) teleconsultations was created for doubts about coronavirus; and a list with 39 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) was developed. For the general population: 65 FAQs were developed; a health team from a low resource setting was trained to provide online teleconsultations; and a chatbot was released to automatically answer COVID-19 related doubts and/or evaluate a user's health condition, indicating if emergency medical care was needed. All resources are freely available on TNMG's website and on its social networks. Conclusions Telehealth tools had a notable acceptance and were shown to be an effective way to disseminate information for professionals and lay population throughout the country. Key messages Telehealth tools have been proven to be an effective strategy to promote health education, for both professionals and the general population. Telemedicine plays a fundamental role on dealing with public health issues, especially on low resource settings.

A Low-Resource Oxygen Blender Prototype for Use in Modified Bubble CPAP Circuits

2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jared Floersch ◽  
Elsa Hauschildt ◽  
Adam Keester ◽  
Samuel Poganski ◽  
Kiet Tran ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Continuous Positive Airway Pressure ◽  
Airway Pressure ◽  
Positive Airway Pressure ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
World Health ◽  
Pure Oxygen ◽  
Hypodermic Needle ◽  
Low Resource Settings ◽  
Low Resource ◽  
Tract Infections

Abstract Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is a method of respiratory support used around the world to treat children with lower respiratory tract infections (LRTI) (WHO, 2016, Oxygen Therapy for Children, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland, Report). Bubble continuous positive airway pressure (bCPAP) is an effective form of CPAP that is currently used in both high- and low-resource countries. Low-cost, modified bCPAP devices have been designed as an ideal form of CPAP in low-resource areas (Bjorklund, A. R., Mpora, B. O., Steiner, M. E., Fischer, G., Davey, C. S., and Slusher, T. M., 2018, “Use of a Modified Bubble Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (bCPAP) Device for Children in Respiratory Distress in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Safety Study,” Paediatr. Int. Child Health, 39(3), pp. 1–8). However, patients in low-resource settings undergoing bCPAP treatment are often given pure oxygen, which has been linked to retinopathy of prematurity, cardiovascular complications, and patient mortality (Rodgers, J. L., Iyer, D., Rodgers, L. E., Vanthenapalli, S., and Panguluri, S. K., 2019, “Impact of Hyperoxia on Cardiac Pathophysiology,” J. Cell. Physiol., 234(8), pp. 1–9; Ramgopal, S., Dezfulian, C., Hickey, R. W., Au, A. K., Venkataraman, S., Clark, R. S. B., and Horvat, C. M., 2019, “Association of Severe Hyperoxemia Events and Mortality Among Patients Admitted to a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit,” JAMA Network Open, 2(8), p. e199812). This problem is typically avoided by using commercial oxygen blenders, which can titrate down the concentration of oxygen delivered to the minimum needed; however, these blenders can cost nearly 1000 USD and are almost always unavailable in low-resource settings. The lack of available low-cost oxygen blenders compatible with modified bCPAP circuits creates a barrier for low-resource hospitals to be able to provide blended oxygen to patients. There is a need for a low-cost oxygen blender for use in low-resource settings. We propose a passive oxygen blender that operates via entrainment of atmospheric air. The device can easily be assembled in low-resource areas using a 22 gauge hypodermic needle, two 3 cc syringes, tape or super glue, and the materials required for bCPAP—for approximately 1.40 USD per device. The blender has not been clinically tested yet, but can achieve oxygen concentrations as low as 60% with bCPAP levels of 5 cm H2O (490 Pa) when used in a standard bCPAP circuit without a patient.

Improved Treatment of Postpartum Hemorrhage: Design, Development, and Bench-Top Validation of a Reusable Intrauterine Tamponade Device for Low-Resource Settings

2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Katherine Hu ◽  
Maya M. Lapinski ◽  
Gavin Mischler ◽  
Robert H. Allen ◽  
Amir Manbachi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Postpartum Hemorrhage ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Clinical Settings ◽  
Design Development ◽  
Low Resource Settings ◽  
Low Resource ◽  
Effective Interventions ◽  
Target Pressure ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Uterine Balloon Tamponade

Abstract Postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) is the leading cause of maternal mortality worldwide, and effective interventions for addressing PPH are urgently needed. Uterine balloon tamponade (UBT) is a technique to control PPH. Commercially available UBT devices are expensive and frequently require imaging technology to ensure placement. Condom-catheter uterine tamponade (C-UBT) is a technique appropriate for low-resource settings. Testing of the C-UBT is needed to better understand and optimize this technique for use in a variety of clinical settings including low-resource contexts. We describe here the design, development, and bench-top validation of a reusable C-UBT device optimized for low-resource settings. The device was tested in three differently sized uterine models using a variety of condom balloon configurations. Intrauterine wall pressure application was measured to evaluate the device capacity to apply pressure of at least 90 mmHg, estimating the mean arterial pressure within the uterine vasculature. Bench-top experimental validation of pressure exerted in uterine models demonstrated the device's capability of reaching hemostatic pressure in uterine volumes ranging from 170 to 1740 mL. Device adaptability and versatility were shown through its ability to reach the target pressure of 90 mmHg in different uterine sizes by varying balloon parameters, including condom thickness and condom configuration. The results of this study show the potential of a low-cost, reusable C-UBT device optimized to treat PPH in a variety of clinical settings, including low-resource contexts.

scholarly journals Speculum-Free Callascope for Cervical Self-Visualization: Acceptability, Feasibility, and Improved Awareness of the Reproductive System

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 50-50
Author(s):  
Mary Elizabeth Dotson ◽  
Mercy Asiedu ◽  
Nimmi Ramanujam
Keyword(s):  
Cervical Cancer ◽  
Cancer Screening ◽  
Cervical Cancer Screening ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Invasive Cervical Cancer ◽  
Imaging Device ◽  
Low Resource Settings ◽  
Low Resource ◽  
Attitudes And Practices ◽  
Home Based

PURPOSE Invasive cervical cancer is preventable, yet it affects 500,000 women worldwide each year, and more than one half these women die. Barriers to cervical cancer screening include a lack of awareness of cervical cancer and the cervix, fear of the speculum, and lack of women-centric technologies. We developed a low-cost (approximately $50), cervix-imaging device called the Callascope, which consists of an imaging component, camera, and inserter that obviates the need for a speculum and enables self-insertion. Studies are lacking regarding women’s willingness to independently image their cervix and women’s ability to effectively use the Callascope for self-imaging. METHODS We conducted two studies: in-depth interviews to assess the willingness to self-image the cervix, perceptions of the Callascope, and knowledge, attitudes, and practices toward cervical cancer screening; and home-based self-cervix imaging with the Callascope where women recorded an audio reflection on their experience. RESULTS Participants in interviews (n = 12) and home study (n = 12) all indicated a preference for the Callascope over the speculum. Interview data demonstrated that 53% of participants had little knowledge of basic reproductive anatomy, and only 17% of participants understood that human papillomavirus was a direct cause of cervical cancer. Self-exam data showed that 83% of participants were able to visualize their cervix with the Callascope on the first try and 100% were able to do so by the end of the study. Of participants, 100% indicated that the home exam was an empowering and informative experience. CONCLUSION The Callascope is more comfortable than the speculum and women are able to successfully image their cervices from home without the need for a speculum. With improved diagnostic capabilities, the Callascope could be used by medical providers for clinical exams, particularly in low-resource settings, as a low-cost and more comfortable alternative to the SOC. The Callascope enables home self-screening for cervical cancer and a better understanding of one’s body, which could make screening more accessible in low-resource settings.

scholarly journals A fully battery-powered inexpensive spectrophotometric system for high-sensitivity point-of-care analysis on a microfluidic chip

The Analyst ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 141 (12) ◽  
pp. 3898-3903 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maowei Dou ◽  
Juan Lopez ◽  
Misael Rios ◽  
Oscar Garcia ◽  
Chuan Xiao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Microfluidic Chip ◽  
Point Of Care ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
High Sensitivity ◽  
Power Supplies ◽  
Low Resource Settings ◽  
Low Resource ◽  
External Power

A low-cost b̲a̲ttery-powered s̲pectrophotometric s̲ystem (BASS) was developed for high-sensitivity point-of-care analysis in low-resource settings on a microfluidic chip without relying on external power supplies.

scholarly journals A Hand-Powered, Portable, Low-Cost Centrifuge for Diagnosing Anemia in Low-Resource Settings

2011 ◽  
Vol 85 (2) ◽  
pp. 327-332 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jocelyn Brown ◽  
Lauren Theis ◽  
Kelly O'Connor ◽  
Lila Kerr ◽  
Margaret Uthman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Low Cost ◽  
Low Resource Settings ◽  
Low Resource

Low-cost, high accuracy Global Navigation Satellite System positioning for understanding floods

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hessel Winsemius ◽  
Andreas Krietemeyer ◽  
Kirsten Van Dongen ◽  
Ivan Gayton ◽  
Frank Annor ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Global Navigation Satellite System ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Smart Phone ◽  
Satellite System ◽  
Base Station ◽  
Navigation Satellite ◽  
Low Resource Settings ◽  
Low Resource ◽  
Global Navigation ◽  
Global Navigation Satellite

<p>Detailed elevation is a prerequisite for many hydrological applications. To name a few, understanding of urban and rural flood hazard and risk; understanding floodplain geometries and conveyance; and monitoring morphological changes. The accuracy of traditional Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) chipsets in smart phones is typically in the order of several meters, too low to be useful for such applications. Structure from Motion photogrammetry methods or Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR), may be used to establish 3D point clouds from drone photos or lidar instrumentation, but even these require very accurate Ground Control Point (GCP) observations for a satisfactory result. These can be acquired through specialised GNSS rover equipment, combined with a multi-frequency GNSS base station or base station network, providing a Real-Time (RTK) or Post-Processing Kinematics (PPK) solution. These techniques are too expensive and too difficult to maintain for use within low resource settings and are usually deployed by experts or specialised firms.</p><p>Here we investigate if accurate positioning (horizontal and vertical) can be acquired using a very recently released low-cost multi-constellation dual-frequency receiver (ublox ZED-F9P), connected with a simple antenna and a smart phone. The setup is remarkably small and easy to carry into the field. Using a geodetic (high-grade) GNSS antenna and receiver as base station, initial results over baselines in the order of a few km with the low-cost receiver revealed a positioning performance in the centimeter domain. Currently, we are testing the solution using a smart phone setup as base station within Dar es Salaam, to improve elevation mapping within the community mapping project “Ramani Huria”. We will also test the equipment for use in GCP observations within the ZAMSECUR project in Zambia and TWIGA project in Ghana. This new technology opens doors to affordable and robust observations of positions and elevation in low resource settings.</p>

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