Steve Martin, DO, and James R. Latronica, DO, residents at the Clarion Hospital Family Medicine Residency Program in Clarion, Pennsylvania, have developed an innovative solution to address the worldwide shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The two DOs created a design for a P100 respirator mask, called the Unity, and an instruction manual to make it using a 3D printer. Thanks in part to a grant from the American Osteopathic Information Association and the Pennsylvania Osteopathic Medical Association Foundation, the design and instruction manual, which includes a supply list, suggested budget and a detailed step-by-step tutorial, is available free-of-charge for download. Or view a video tutorial below.
This design allows health care providers to print their own 3D respirator shells for P100 filters, which have been shown to capture 99.97% of airborne micro-particles. Commonly used in commercial, non-medical settings, many hospitals are turning to these industrial masks in the absence of traditional, FDA-approved masks that are in short supply.