A Nebraska anesthetist is making protective equipment for clinicians intubating COVID-19 patients, local ABC affiliate KLKN TV reports.
Four things to know:
1. Certified registered nurse anesthetist Hillary Bonin wanted to protect herself while doing intubations at Lincoln-based Nebraska Surgical Center, so she and her father began making hoods that would serve that purpose.
2. Each intubation hood combines an aerosol box and a video laryngoscope to provide an extra barrier of protection. While it's not designed to replace N95 surgical masks or other respiratory protection, the solution distances providers from both the patient and "the potential aerosolization of sputum," said Ms. Bonin, an anesthetist with San Antonio-based STAR Anesthesia.
3. Ms. Bonin and her father, Leo Benes, a retired Lincoln Fire & Rescue battalion chief, have made five of the intubation hoods for each emergency department in town as they prepare for higher volumes of COVID-19 patients.