Made in Portugal. “Insomnia” of a doctor resulting in a helmet for risky surgeries
A scientific research group wears a medical helmet that, with it, allows us to “work safely and comfortably” in surgical interventions where there are risks associated with infectious or unknown agents.
Members of the University Hospital Center of São João (CHUSJ) worked together with the Engineering and Development Center (CEiiA), in Matosinhos.
It was from an “insomnia” of Francisco Serdoura, orthopedic doctor at CHUSJ, that the idea of to develop a medical device that would allow “to work safely, with the face uncovered and in Covid-19 conditions with minimal comfort”.
“At the beginning of the pandemic, he got the perception of the difficulty in acquiring personal protective equipment (PPE) and the conditions under which, in fact, the professionals worked with masks and glasses”, said the clinician, explaining that the perception of the difficulties became more intense. when he operated on the first patient with SARS-CoV-2.
Aware of the difficulties faced in high-risk environments, Francisco Serdoura challenged the CEiiA to work together to develop a solution: a medical helmet.
A year and a half after the challenge launched, the prototype of the medical helmet (still unnamed), in addition to protection, safety and comfort, incorporates a comfort system.
“The equipment allows the person to have any, whether in the operating room or in Intensive Care Units (ICU) ”, clarified the doctor.
In order for this device to exist “beyond the Covid-19 pandemic”, the CEiiA engineers included a series of “gadgets” that will allow, for example, “the communication between the team, the connectivity of a series of equipment and the evolution of the helmet to support virtual reality”.
The idea evolved “in the sense that the helmet is not only a protection structure, but also a technological one and with the developments that follow in the short term”, stressed Francisco Serdoura.
Among the “gadgets” incorporated into the helmet, there is a ‘Bluetooth’ system that will allow you to “control the communication speed and the internal sound”.
“The goal is for this to evolve as a platform for image-supported surgery,” said the clinician.
The medical helmet is one of the projects already underway by 4LifeLAB, an approved collaborative laboratory, which aims to position Portugal in the global value chains of the healthcare markets.