PanFab News - Latest Results
Last updated 08/27/2021
Last updated
Last updated 08/27/2021
Last updated
PanFab was established to meet urgent demands for medical supplies and equipment arising from the COVID19 pandemic. Coordination is provided by the Harvard-MIT Center for Regulatory Science at HMS, a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) institution. Our primary mode of real-time communication is Slack. See contacts for invitation details. We are focused initially on the Greater Boston area but anyone is free to join and use our work products.
This fall, our team has developed resources compiled on our new school reopening webpage to address common concerns of school staff surrounding safe reopening during the pandemic. This page will be updated on an ongoing basis, and we welcome any questions and feedback which can be submitted via the Google form on the School Reopening Resources page directly, or sent via email to panfab.schools<at>gmail.com. School staff are also invited to get in touch with us to request an information session with members of our team or to inquire about specific questions.
Hospitals and other organizations are being inundated with obviously counterfeit masks of foreign manufacture. Preliminary data suggests that these are not effective in filtration. Less obviously counterfeit KN95 masks (the Chinese equivalent of NIOSH N95 masks) are also performing poorly at multiple test sites. Local data and recommendations for mask procurement can be found here.
Health care providers are experiencing significant shortages in filters for the protective hoods know as Purifying Air Powered Respirators (PAPRs). Photo shows non-traditional PAPRs filters be readied for performance testing. The gray cassettes have been 3D printed and contain a HEPA filter that is normally used in a consumer product. The collars are designed to fit ICS Dover PAPR blowers. Engineering and clinical testing are underway to determine if this solution is safe and effective. This is part of a larger PanFab project to develop alternative PAPR equipment. Publication and design files found here.
PanFab releases positive data on the use of ionized hydrogen peroxide (iHP) for sterilizing N95 masks (FFRs) and PPE. In this work iHP was generated using a SteraMist system from TOMI installed in an environmental chamber (a small room). Real-world testing of sterilized masks continues.
Image credit: Insider, 04.20.2020
Severe shortages in N95 masks (FFRs) are making it necessary to reuse a normally disposable product. PanFab engineers are working on sterilization and also building on work done at the University of Connecticut to develop frames that can fit over masks and compensate for damaged to elastic straps. These frames may also improve mask fit after reuse. Publication and materials found here.
The BWH/PanFab Mk1.0 face shield (described in detail in the Cell Med research article) has been clinically tested and approved and several hundred have been deployed. All designs and data are free for reuse, and you can check out our current design here. Study of injection molding and ANSI testing continues. The photo below shows the PanFab design.
