An opportunity to minimise risk of exposure to COVID-19 for frontline NHS staff involved in both the intubation and extubation processes has been identified by senior NHS practitioners.
MTC engineers, working in collaboration with Rolls-Royce and Dr Ian Renfrew, Consultant Interventional Radiologist at BARTS alongside Dr Paolo Perella, Anaesthetic Registrar at Royal London Hospital, supported by Innovate UK, have over a 7 day period prototyped, developed and seen operational a fast make AGP Shield for use with Ventilators. Wider applications for the shield have also been identified, further aiding the safety of front-line medical staff.
It is anticipated that the NHS may need several thousand of these shields, with the MTC set to manufacture the first batch of up to two hundred units, which can be quickly scaled up across multiple supply chains in order to meet higher demands.
The first two hundred AGP Shield units have been successfully fulfilled and were fully funded by the MTC. Due to ongoing demand, we are currently seeking further sponsorship and continue to take orders from hospitals. Where funding is not available, hospitals and institutions may optionally wish to purchase the units at a cost price of £300.00 plus VAT and shipping, which will be calculated at the time of order.
If your company or organisation wishes to fund AGP Shields, or sponsor a local hospital, then please do not hesitate to get in touch by emailing us at [email protected]
The shield has undergone multiple design changes following trials in three hospitals which has helped development from the initial prototype through to the manufacture of the first production units. Feedback from medical professionals suggests that these shields could not only be used during intubation and extubation procedures but also several other medical procedures beyond COVID-19. This means they could also potentially be used in Intensive Care Units (ITU’s) and Theatres. MTC engineers are now working with Aston Martin, and Multimatic to refine the initial design enabling the shield to be made in one-piece. Aston Martin is also utilising state of the art cutting machines at Gaydon, to cut out the silicone components that are used in the assembly of the box. These advances will further aid the speed of production and overall ability to meet NHS demand.
Technical design packs of the AGP Shield are already available for download in a flat-pack, fabricated and vacuum formed version, ensuring other manufacturers also have access to these designs which will be open source. In addition, the shields will also be made available as flat-pack self-assembly kits which can be deployed quickly and assembled on-site with ease.