The Vacuum Assisted Negative Pressure Isolation Hood (VANISH) System: Novel Application of the Stryker Neptune™ Suction Machine to Create COVID-19 Negative Pressure Isolation Environments.

David Convissar,Connie Y Chang,Edward A Bittner,Marvin G Chang,Wonjae E Choi

doi:10.7759/cureus.8126

Abstract

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) may remain viable in the air for up to three hours, placing health care workers in close proximity to aerosolizing procedures particularly at high risk for infection. This combined with the drastic shortage of negative pressure rooms hospitals worldwide has led to the rapid innovation of novel biohazard isolation hoods, which can be adapted to create negative pressure isolation environments around the patient's airway using the hospital wall suction, which carries many limitations, including weaker suction capabilities, single patient use, and immobility. Here, we report our Vacuum Assisted Negative Pressure Isolation Hood (VANISH) system that uses a mobile and readily available in most hospital operating rooms Stryker Neptune™ (Stryker Corporation, Kalamazoo, Michigan) high-powered suction system to more effectively create a negative pressure biohazard isolation environment. VANISH has been utilized regularly in an anesthesia practice of 30+ providers and, to date, there have been no documented COVID-19 infections.

Highlights

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-COV-2) virus responsible for COVID-19 is transmissible via aerosolization and may be viable in the air for at least three hours [1,2]
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) may remain viable in the air for up to three hours, placing health care workers in close proximity to aerosolizing procedures at high risk for infection. This combined with the drastic shortage of negative pressure rooms hospitals worldwide has led to the rapid innovation of novel biohazard isolation hoods, which can be adapted to create negative pressure isolation environments around the patient's airway using the hospital wall suction, which carries many limitations, including weaker suction capabilities, single patient use, and immobility
The increased need for aerosolizing procedures, such as endotracheal intubation, extubation, tracheostomy, cricothyrotomy, endoscopy, bronchoscopy, transesophageal echo (TEE), high flow nasal cannula (HFNC), and noninvasive ventilation (NIV), such as bilevel positive airway pressure (BiPAP), continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), and bronchoscopy, combined with the shortage of negative pressure rooms has led to the rapid innovation of novel biohazard isolation hoods adapted to use wall suction to create a negative pressure environment for patients with COVID-19 [3,4,5,6,7]

Summary

Introduction

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-COV-2) virus responsible for COVID-19 is transmissible via aerosolization and may be viable in the air for at least three hours [1,2]. We report the first use of the Stryker NeptuneTM (Stryker Corporation, Kalamazoo, Michigan) high-powered suction systems that are mobile-ready and available in most hospital operating rooms to more effectively create negative pressure biohazard isolation hoods so as to minimize risk to healthcare workers, performing aerosolization procedures on COVID-19 confirmed and suspected patients. This novel negative pressure isolation biohazard hood has been utilized regularly in an anesthesia practice of 30+ providers and, to date, there have been no documented COVID-19 infections. PVC: polyvinyl chloride; high-efficiency particulate air; Stryker NeptuneTM: Stryker Corporation, Kalamazoo, Michigan

Discussion

Conclusions

Disclosures