We have designed, tested, and refined Infectious Disease apparel that outperforms the existing hodgepodge in every way.
Advantages.
All Three Modes - the gown is designed for all three modes of infection: liquid, droplet, and airborne. A hospital cannot guess what is going to enter the emergency room, or buy apparel that defends from one mode but be wrong on which mode(s) are needed.
Materials - the main material can be selected to provide a desired barrier layer protection. Options include a gown with ANSI/AAMI PB 70 Level 3 material, or a material that passes ASTM 1670 (Standard Test Method for Resistance of Materials Used in Protective Clothing to Penetration by Synthetic Blood) and ASTM 1671 (Standard Test Method for Resistance of Materials Used in Protective Clothing to Penetration by Blood-Borne Pathogens.) The seams are taped, too. The gown includes an integrated N95 or N99 filter.
Cool and Comfortable - compliant spacers worn under the encapsulating coverall create an internal air volume that keeps a wearer cool and comfortable.
Uninterrupted Facial Protection – designed to defend the mucous membranes (mouth, nose, eyes) from infected sprays produced in aerosol generating procedures.
Patient Friendly - the open face shield permits better communication with patents who can see a health care worker's face. The internal fan has also been selected to minimize noise and not compromise hearing and listening.
Fogging - air movement in the internal volume also dissipates moisture, reducing internal humidity and minimizing lens fogging.
Frontal Hemisphere Priority - means a design that minimizes or avoids seams, zippers, or gaps in the primary exposure areas.
Separates Fit from Filtration - N95 masks require fit testing to achieve 95% filtration. They are also compromised by facial hair. The gown does not suffer from these fit problems.
Variant independent – health care workers cannot assume which covid variant the next patient has, and whether their vaccination protects from it.
The encapsulating coverall shines in doffing. Here are some advantages during removal.
Two Color Doffing – the main material has different colors on the inside and outside, which inform a doctor or nurse which surfaces were exposed and which were not. This informs the wearer which surfaces to handle while doffing, leading to a reduction in self-contaminations while doffing. Yes, we invented color coded doffing.
Attached Doffing Handwear – allows a doctor or nurse to avoid handling infected gloves during doffing, which are often the most soiled PPE after use. Think about it: after removing a first infected glove, how does one remove the second soiled glove without self-contaminating the clean bare hand? Our solution: don't touch either. Yes, we invented this also.
Inside-out Doffing - traps contains contaminated surfaces inside after doffing, making it even more difficult to self-contaminate.
KISS Principle - doffing resembles removing a long sweater, which is conceptually simpler, especially when tired and stressed after working a long shift in an ICU. There are fewer pieces to doff, and fewer steps for error.
Solo Doffing - No second person is required for doffing. This is an unwise protocol found with existing PPE. If someone is doffing PPE covered with infected liquids, putting a second person in proximity with the infected PPE is incredibly unwise.
Containment - inside-out doffing contains contaminated surfaces that were previously outside and exposed.
Disposal - at the end of doffing, the open end can be twisted and cinched, creating a closed bag for disposal.
Less Maintenance - all reusable components remain under the apparel during usage, simplifying maintenance of the reusable components.
And we did all of this at a price comparable to quality surgical gowns and the current apparel. Good design goes a long way.
Advantages.
All Three Modes - the gown is designed for all three modes of infection: liquid, droplet, and airborne. A hospital cannot guess what is going to enter the emergency room, or buy apparel that defends from one mode but be wrong on which mode(s) are needed.
Materials - the main material can be selected to provide a desired barrier layer protection. Options include a gown with ANSI/AAMI PB 70 Level 3 material, or a material that passes ASTM 1670 (Standard Test Method for Resistance of Materials Used in Protective Clothing to Penetration by Synthetic Blood) and ASTM 1671 (Standard Test Method for Resistance of Materials Used in Protective Clothing to Penetration by Blood-Borne Pathogens.) The seams are taped, too. The gown includes an integrated N95 or N99 filter.
Cool and Comfortable - compliant spacers worn under the encapsulating coverall create an internal air volume that keeps a wearer cool and comfortable.
Uninterrupted Facial Protection – designed to defend the mucous membranes (mouth, nose, eyes) from infected sprays produced in aerosol generating procedures.
Patient Friendly - the open face shield permits better communication with patents who can see a health care worker's face. The internal fan has also been selected to minimize noise and not compromise hearing and listening.
Fogging - air movement in the internal volume also dissipates moisture, reducing internal humidity and minimizing lens fogging.
Frontal Hemisphere Priority - means a design that minimizes or avoids seams, zippers, or gaps in the primary exposure areas.
Separates Fit from Filtration - N95 masks require fit testing to achieve 95% filtration. They are also compromised by facial hair. The gown does not suffer from these fit problems.
Variant independent – health care workers cannot assume which covid variant the next patient has, and whether their vaccination protects from it.
The encapsulating coverall shines in doffing. Here are some advantages during removal.
Two Color Doffing – the main material has different colors on the inside and outside, which inform a doctor or nurse which surfaces were exposed and which were not. This informs the wearer which surfaces to handle while doffing, leading to a reduction in self-contaminations while doffing. Yes, we invented color coded doffing.
Attached Doffing Handwear – allows a doctor or nurse to avoid handling infected gloves during doffing, which are often the most soiled PPE after use. Think about it: after removing a first infected glove, how does one remove the second soiled glove without self-contaminating the clean bare hand? Our solution: don't touch either. Yes, we invented this also.
Inside-out Doffing - traps contains contaminated surfaces inside after doffing, making it even more difficult to self-contaminate.
KISS Principle - doffing resembles removing a long sweater, which is conceptually simpler, especially when tired and stressed after working a long shift in an ICU. There are fewer pieces to doff, and fewer steps for error.
Solo Doffing - No second person is required for doffing. This is an unwise protocol found with existing PPE. If someone is doffing PPE covered with infected liquids, putting a second person in proximity with the infected PPE is incredibly unwise.
Containment - inside-out doffing contains contaminated surfaces that were previously outside and exposed.
Disposal - at the end of doffing, the open end can be twisted and cinched, creating a closed bag for disposal.
Less Maintenance - all reusable components remain under the apparel during usage, simplifying maintenance of the reusable components.
And we did all of this at a price comparable to quality surgical gowns and the current apparel. Good design goes a long way.