IIT students’ prototype intubation boxes to protect doctors from COVID-19 being reviewed by AIIMS

New Delhi: Students at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) have developed low-cost intubation boxes for dealing with COVID-19 patients facing breathing issues and requiring assistance in the form of endotracheal intubation.

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

The device developed by IIT Guwahati functions as an aerosol obstruction box which can be placed atop the patient’s bed on the head-side, limiting the flow of virus-laden droplets from the patient to the doctor, especially during the process of intubation, which is known to be cough inducing.