We all know that there are limited  medical devices and personal equipment (PPE)  at the time of pandemic in US. Therefore, researchers and students at the University of Minnesota came up with ideas to solve the  problems presented during COVID-19. Examples of medical devices and PPEs created by interdisciplinary teams at the University as the following:

    The Gown for University of Minnesota(MN) project began late April when Minnesota Health Fairview Hospitals and Clinics developed a terrible shortage of medical gowns. With the demand up to 10,000 gowns a day, the task of designing and manufacturing gowns was undertaken by a team of 17 undergraduate biomedical engineering students, led by Professor Steven Saliterman. Within two weeks, the design was completed, material specified and production set into motion. The gown provides a barrier to infection, and can be easily donned and doffed. The University designed gown is available for open access and is being manufactured globally.

    MNmask was created to solve the growing shortage of protective masks by providing a viable, easily-produced alternative when regular masks are unavailable. The mask uses verified, tested filter material to block the transfer of viruses and other components sourced from non-endangered supply chains. MNmasks can be styled in three different ways for clinical and general-purpose uses. In May, production for Minnesota Health Fairview began.

    The Coventor is an emergency ventilator alternative that can be used in clinical settings where traditional ventilators are not available. In April, the Coventor received Emergency Use Authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in May. To date, approximately 5,000 units have been built.

    Much more additional creative projects developed at the University to fight COVID-19 include testing phone-booths and the Respiratory Safety Shield and System. PCR testing on cell phones, 3D printable ventilator components, and a low cost ECMO device are contributing to testing process, developing a vaccine, improvising virtual care.

    All the files of the above designs can be downloaded and used for free by anyone online.

By  Liu Bei/ Lin Juanzhen

Edited by Office of International Cooperation and Communication