Medical research centre in Kerala develops battery power PPE kit

Powered Air Purifying Respirator (PAPR) device which circulates air inside Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) kits avoid rebreathing in the user. The battery-powered kit also has virus filters to purify circulated air inside the kit

Thiruvananthapuram: Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute of Medical Sciences and Technology (SCTIMST) in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, has come up with a novel Powered Air Purifying Respirator (PAPR) device which circulates air inside Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) kits. The novel device is expected to be a relief for the healthcare professionals who face difficulty in breathing while wearing PPE kits for long hours while dispensing their duties.

The main problem that the health workers experience while using PPE kits during their duty is the heat and the difficulty to breath, while wearing PPE suits. Sree Chitra Institute’s Purifying Respirator Kit will resolve these issues.

The design of the new PAPR kit is in such a way that it covers the face completely. The battery-operated PAPR kit with inbuilt virus filters helps the user breath without difficulty.

Virus filters used in the PAPR kits are the same as those used in anesthesia machines and ventilator systems.

The battery-powered respirator with virus filter ensures that the air for inhalation is filtered and purified through an approved virus filter and the exhaled air is expelled through another filter continuously. This enables the health worker to breathe comfortably without at the risk being infected.

As the number of health workers contracting the COVID-19 disease has been increasing day by day, the Powered Respirator Kit is expected to come as a relief for them.

After a fully charging the kit can be used continuously operated for 8 to 10 hours at a stretch.

The PAPR kit has been designed by Dr Praveen Pai, an expert with the Public Healthcare department of Sree Chitra Institute in association with the scientists at the Sree Chitra Institute.