Guwahati, April 30: Students of Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati (IIT-G) have designed and developed a low-cost intubation box which is easy to manufacture and deliver amid the lockdown period. These boxes have been developed for coronavirus patients facing breathing issues and needing assistance in the form of endotracheal intubation

According to an ANI tweet, the device functions as an aerosol obstruction box which is placed atop the patient bed, limiting the flow of virus-laden droplets from patient to doctor, especially during the process of intubation. An Intubation box is, therefore, a reusable personal protective equipment (PPE) than can be used to protect healthcare workers when intubating coronavirus patients. India’s COVID-19 Count Rises to 33,050 With 1,718 New Cases in Past 24 Hours, Death Toll Jumps to 1074.

View images of the low-cost intubation box shared by ANI:

What is Intubation?

Intubation is the process of inserting a tube, called an endotracheal tube (ET), through the mouth and then the airway so that a patient can be placed on a ventilator to assist with breathing during anaesthesia, sedation or severe illness.

Price of Intubation Box?

According to the release issued by IIT-G, the projected cost of the intubation box developed at IIT-G is Rs 2,000. These boxes are reusable, and they may be cleaned thoroughly with 70 percent alcohol or bleach, to allow use for the next patient.

The team has also started a crowdfunding campaign in order to manufacture these boxes and provide them to government hospitals for free. IITG confirmed that the campaign raised a record of Rs  50,000 within six hours of launching.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 30, 2020 03:39 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).