NEW HAVEN, Conn. — We’ve heard many wonderful stories about businesses and individuals donating personal protective equipment to hospitals and other front line medical providers.
But, one Yale doctor decided to take matters into his own hands.
With shortages of PPE, a Yale Medicine Anesthesiologist, who has an engineering background, though he could help by designing and fabricating interesting face shields, for himself and colleagues.
"It’s a very simple concept," said Dr. Luiz Maracaja. "It’s basically a frame for a face shield and one of the sides is open, hollow, so you can connect compressed air or oxygen."
A fellow of Dr. Maracaja helped in the design process.
"These face masks can be used anywhere in the hospital that has even an air supply," said Dr. Daina Blitz, a fellow with the Yale School of Medicine. "It doesn’t have to be oxygen. Anything that can give you positive pressure, with some kind of air or oxygen device to blow the particles that are aerosolized away from your face."
Dr. Luiz Maracaja and his wife, Dr. Danielle Maracaja, created the masks on a 3-D printer at home.
"He made something simple that other people can also use their own 3-D printers and can do that to help other people, as well," said Dr. Danielle Maracaja, also a fellow with the Yale School of Medicine.
"So, it takes it one step beyond those N95 masks that were simple facemasks, with the goggles and it gives you some of the technology that are being used by people you are most exposed," said Blitz.
So far, the doctors are responsible for creating roughly 200 of these unique face shields.
"I really hope that mankind can get back to normal," said Dr. Luiz Maracaja. "I don’t want any money out of this."
He says dentists are also very interested in his design, because of how close they need to be to their patients.