SmartPPE – Developing 21st-century protective equipment
THE CHALLENGE
Frontline and healthcare workers fighting Ebola in the conflict-affected areas of North Kivu and Ituri in the Democratic Republic of the Congo are seldom equipped with adequate proper personal protective equipment (PPE) for their working conditions. The current PPE used is inappropriate for tropical climates and inadequate to prevent overheating, exhaustion, and self-contamination during undressing procedures. In addition, the physical appearance of heavy-geared suits sometimes intimidates patients, undermines interpersonal communication, and makes it challenging for healthcare providers to build trusting relationships with the communities they serve.
THE SOLUTION
To create fit-for-purpose PPE, in the context of DRC’s Ebola and conflict-affected regions, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne developed ‘SmartPPE’—the world’s first single piece, ventilated, and reusable PPE for healthcare workers. The integrated ventilation system prevents the buildup of excessive heat, humidity and fogging inside the PPE, thus reducing exhaustion, extending working shifts, and enabling a more visible, human interaction with patients. During the CHIC funding period, activities focused on assessing the technical performance of the SmartPPE Suit as part of a process to optimize the prototype for field deployment. Evaluations determined that the final SmartPPE prototype complies with requirements for protection against liquid chemicals and offers a significant cooling effect which can be estimated to slow body heating by 7x. Furthermore, the current cost of the SmartPPE is estimated to be less than USD 5,000 with the suit and filter system being reusable for 100 cycles and the air system having a lifetime of more than 2,000 hours. In this setting, the use of the SmartPPE would achieve an estimated hourly cost reduction close to 6x compared to the conventionally used PPE alternative, thereby achieving significant cost efficiencies. By the end of the grant period, a collaboration had been established with SFTECH and MSF who will jointly take over the project, bringing the SmartPPE to certification and eventually deploying it in the field.
