New Reusable Coronavirus Face Shields Unveiled At Brigham And Women's Hospital
BOSTON (CBS) – Brigham and Women's Hospital has developed a new protective face shield that they hope will help alleviate the shortage of personal protective equipment during the coronavirus pandemic.
The clear plastic shield is made of solid materials, so it can be wiped down, sanitized and used several times.
The Brigham tested the new masks throughout its emergency department and they say it's been a success because of the comfort and extra protection.
"They're lightweight, they're substantial and they're far more protective than the PPE that we were receiving," said Dr. Ed Boyer, an emergency medicine toxicologist. "People are just more protected using this device than the others that have been available to us."
The hospital made thousands of the masks with a 3D printer to get them out quickly.
"We are also looking at mechanisms to change this design to be injection moldable, which would allow us to make many thousands more in a fraction of the time," said Dr. Sherry Yu, who helped produce the shields.
Yu said these are more expensive than the traditional face shields, but they're more cost-effective because they have extended use and re-use.
Dr. Nicole Le Boeuf, a dermatologist who helped design the face shield, said the shield design can be scaled and shared with anyone locally or nationally who wants to access these design files.