Abstract
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the patient isolation chamber is crucial as it helps reduce the infection, numbers of medical personnel while transferring patients, and time, as well as protect their safety while taking good care of the COVID-19 patients. The general negative pressure chambers are currently expensive and have various limitations. For example, unable to move intensive care patients with ventilators, inconvenient in some medical procedures e.g., radiation treatment or CT scan, inconvenient and high costs for maintenance, and lack of quality testing and certification of equipment in safety and performance. Therefore, the MTEC research team had developed the PETE (Patient Isolation and Transportation Chamber), a device for transferring patients with respiratory tract problems. The PETE consists of 2 main parts; a clear plastic patient isolator and a negative pressure unit designed to control the air circulation inside the chamber. This PETE innovation is developed in consideration of local manufacture, reduction of shortage necessary medical equipment, and future improvement on the medical devices in accordance with global safety standards. The PETE is designed efficiently and approved after being reviewed along with literature and solution ideas gathered from concerned parties. The outcomes attached with this innovation are an air circulation system, a high-efficiency particulate air filter (HEPA filter), and a UV-C light sterilization system. From a study of current problems and reviews by actual users from 10 sampling institutions, the MTEC research team had digested and concluded for specification of the equipment which its main characteristics or essential features of a product are as follows: Compatible with existing patient transport equipment such as spinal board, stretcher, or scoop, The chamber can be put into the X-ray machine and CT scan, Foldable chamber requires small space to keep and be easy to transport, Pre-inlet filter prevent redundant disease, Chamber gloves ensure safe patient manipulation and additional ports for connection external medical devices and Complies with ISO 14644 standard (Clean room and associated controlled environments), IEC 60601-1 standard (electrical safety testing standard for medical devices) and IEC 60601-1-2 (electromagnetic compatibility)
