Objective
- To develop a compact air filter utilizing hollow fibre membranes (HFMs) for decontaminating the exhaust air of laparoscopic devices
Project Description
There is a need for safer and easier ways of treating the smoke created during laparoscopic procedures before discharging into the environment. Typically, a filter is used to remove aerosol particles containing viruses, to protect the HCPs during the pandemic. HEPA filters will not be
feasible to use in this case as it has a relatively high-pressure drop. High-pressure drops are particularly problematic for laparoscopic surgery as high-pressure drops mean high pressure in the abdomen which can cause barotrauma. Under pressure drops would not be effective either, as they would not keep the lungs/abdomen adequately inflated. So, there is a need for a low-pressure drop bioaerosol filter that can remove smoke, tissue fragments, and the Covid-19 virus.
The proposed solution is a hollow fibre-based design. The main advantage is that hollow fibres have 1200 m2/m3 whereas current pleated technology has about an order of magnitude less, about 100- 200 m2/m3. The proposed device is hollow fibre membranes (HFMs) based compact air filters that have lower pressure drops. They are effective for decontaminating exhaust air of laparoscopic trocars, insufflators, and other gas-exhausting devices.
Project Details
Principal Investigator: Prof. Jayesh Bellare
Cause Area/ Theme: Health, Nutrition, Safe Drinking Water and Sanitation
Budget: INR 15 Lakhs
Technology Readiness Level: 6
Project Duration: 1 Year
UN SDG No: 3
Expected Impact
- The compact air filter design can decontaminate the exhaust air of laparoscopic trocars, insufflators, and other gas-exhausting devices with very high efficiency
- Over 1 lakh people will be directly impacted daily and a few crores on an annual basis. This includes patients requiring surgical procedures, health care personnel, doctors, etc