To address the shortage of mask to doctors and those working on the frontline in health services, a dental technician has developed a transparent face shield.
Pankaj Sharma has manufactured around 500 pieces of face shields for doctors who are need of personal protective equipment to reduce risk of exposure and limit the spread of COVID 19, while treating patients.
Speaking to The Hindu on Friday, he said that in the last couple of days, he had distributed the masks to the doctors in many private hospitals in the city and at the taluk hospital in Chincholi.
A couple of doctors working at the ESI isolation ward and many others from private hospitals had approached him for masks. Mr. Sharma has used thick transparent sheet, straws and threads for making the mask. His aim was to develop a mask that can be assembled easily using supplies from the stationary shop and comfortable to wear.
Mr. Sharma and his family have prepared around 500 masks within a week.
“It’s truly a team effort, we are trying to produce as many face shields as possible,” My family members have joined hands for the noble cause,” he said.
He asked doctors to feel free to contact him on 9916567777 to get a mask for free.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> States> Karnataka / by Praveen Para / Kalaburagi – April 18th, 2020
The first batch of ten each were despatched on Saturday by post to the Rishikesh-based institute. It was a pure labour of love for the team at BEL headed by scientist Matukumalli Rajasekhar.
Wrist and chest bands to monitor those with COVID-19 (Photo | Special Arrangement)
Bengaluru :
The Bengaluru-based PSU Bharat Electronics Limited has been roped in by the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Uttarakhand to develop wrist and chest bands to monitor those with COVID-19 or suspected of having it.
The first batch of ten each were despatched on Saturday by post to the Rishikesh-based institute. It was a pure labour of love for the team at BEL headed by scientist Matukumalli Rajasekhar of its Central Research Lab who churned out the products within a week’s time.
Rajashekhar told TNIE, “The concept was proposed by AIIMS to BEL. The software, sensors and cloud system to store them were all developed by us here. We have also developed a mobile app. A total of 40 of us were split into three teams.”
Both the bands have to be worn together by a patient, one around the wrist and the other around the hip like a belt. “It is GPS enabled and connected to a common server. The wrist band will send the temperature and other details to the server. All patient movements will be tracked through it. The chest belt will show the respiratory status of the patient. Alerts are sent to the Chief Medical Officer in each district. The CMO will alert the health workers in the area who can track the patient.”
In case any of the bands is thrown away by a patient, alerts will be sent indicating that they are not being used, he added. “Such bands are not in use anywhere in the country and it is the first such initiative,” the scientist said, adding, “AIIMS wanted to test the first batch to ensure all readings are fine. We will be doing it in bulk as soon as we get the green signal from them.”
AIIMS is likely to ask BEL to produce 25,000 pairs of bands, he added. Asked about the business part of it, the scientist said, “We are not looking at it as a profit venture. The cost incurred in readying the apparatus for each patient works out to around Rs 10,000 and the institute is likely to pay that to us. We are not charging them as it is our contribution during this crisis-ridden time.”
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Karnataka / by S. Lalitha / Express News Service / April 18th, 2020
Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has produced and handed over more than 300 aerosol boxes to various State governments including Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Kerala to be used in hospitals.
HAL said in a release that the transparent box acts as an insulator between the doctor and the patient and significantly reduces the possibility of COVID-19 transmission to doctors and medical staff treating patients.
“The results are encouraging and we can cater to more hospitals and States in this hour of need,” said R. Madhavan, CMD, HAL. The boxes are produced at various divisions of HAL across the country.
HAL management has already announced a contribution of ₹26.25 crore to the PM-CARES Fund, said the release.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Karnataka / by Special Correspondent / Bengaluru – April 16th, 2020
Dr Arun Ranganath says the best supportive care on a ventilator with the pulmonologist, anaesthetist and intensive intervention is the key for early recovery.
Dr Arun Ranganath
Tumakuru :
“No one has died from COVID-19 under my care. One patient had cancer and he died of cancer,” asserted Dr Arun Ranganath, who has been treating the intubated patients in the ICU of Maine General Medical Centre, Augusta, USA.
The physician who hails from here has treated five patients aged between 63-80 successfully and they have been discharged with one more person still getting treatment under his supervision
The expert doctor, who has had stints at hospitals in the UK, at Safdarjang in New Delhi, has been in Maine Centre for eleven years. For four years, he has been the director of the ICU and is triple board-certified in internal medicine, pulmonary and critical care.
Speaking with The New Indian Express, the shy doctor shared his experience as he has been working for over 14 hours daily at the 200-bed hospital. The young doctor says the best supportive care on a ventilator – with the pulmonologist, anaesthetist and intensive intervening at the right time – will make a difference as the rate of patient recovery will be high.
“We have also treated with some steroids, hydroxychloroquine, and azithromycin but I am not sure if it made a huge difference. I am not sure about their efficacy but at least they don’t hurt as some of the studies done in France show a mortality benefit,” he explained.
Interestingly, the doctor’s wife Nagaveni Thimmappa also works as a data analyst with the hospital as his colleague and the couple have risked their lives, leaving their little daughters aged twelve and seven years under the care of a nanny.
Hailing from Sira town, which witnessed a death due to COVID-19 and a positive case, Arun did his MBBS at Mysuru Medical College. Sadly, he lost both his parents Ranganath and Shivakumari in his childhood.
“My aunt, father’s sister, Dr Jayalakshmi, working at the government hospital at Challakere in Chitradurga district motivated me to become a doctor. My paternal uncle Panduranga educated me,” he informed.
He suggested that the shared responsibility is the need of the hour as the entire community including the doctors, the staff at the hospital and the public, in general, are at the risk of contracting the virus.
“There are definitely risks involved in the process. I can’t imagine any other better person than the physician to take that risk. On the same note, they have to protect themselves with appropriate masks and hand hygiene. They have to take care of themselves first to take care of others but that doesn’t mean that they should shy away from the responsibilities,” he advised.
He also suggested that in a country like India, the general duty doctors at the hospital should also be trained in handling critical care including the ICU as soon as possible.
“India can just not relax as the cases detected are less but should keep in mind that there might be ten times more asymptomatic carriers and the latter should be subjected to diagnosis and kept in quarantine. Early detection is the key,” he warned.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Good News / by Devaraj B. Hirehalli / Express News Service / April 15th, 2020
M. V. Rajasekharan MLC during the Legislative Council session in Bangalore on June 03, 2011. | Photo Credit: K Bhagya Prakash
Son-in-law of former Karnataka Chief Minister S. Nijalingappa, he was MoS for Planning in the Manmohan Singh Ministry
Former Union Minister and veteran Congress leader M.V. Rajashekaran died in Bengaluru on Monday. He was 91.
The veteran leader, who was ailing for sometime, passed away in a private hospital.
He was the son-in-law of former Karnataka Chief Minister S. Nijalingappa.
Mr. Rajashekaran served as Union Minister of State for Planning in the Manmohan Singh Ministry.
Yeddyurappa’s condolence
In his condolence message, Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa said that Mr. Rajashekaran, who served as an MLC, MP and Union Minister, was a politician with simplicity, humility and great maturity.
“May his soul rest in peace and may God give the strength to his family and followers to bear this loss,” the Chief Minister said.
He was an authority on rural economy and had set up an institute to make studies on rural development. Known for value-based politics, he represented Kanakapura constituency in the Lok Sabha.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Karnataka / by Special Correspondent / Bengaluru – April 13th, 2020
One of the old KSRTC buses converted as a ‘sanitizer bus’ in Bengaluru. | Photo Credit: V. Sreenivasa Murthy
It will be used to disinfect people offering essential services
The Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) is converting its old buses that were slated to be scrapped into ‘sanitizer buses’ to disinfect people in public places. On Saturday, one such bus was launched in the city.
KSRTC Managing Director Shivayogi C. Kalasad said the sanitizer buses branded as ‘Sarige Sanjeevini’ will be operated in the city limits for the benefit of police personnel, health workers, pourakarmikas and others who are carrying out essential services during the lockdown.
“There are various measures to curb the spread of COVID-19, this is one among them. We can’t say that the sanitizer buses will completely disinfect people. They have to follow other measures such as maintaining personal hygiene, washing hands, etc. This is one of the proactive measures taken by the corporation,” said Mr. Kalasad.
The bus was modified at the Central Workshop of KSRTC at a cost of ₹20,000. Modifications include installation of sprinklers. People need to enter from the front door and exit via the rear end to get disinfected.
“In districts such as Mysuru, Mangaluru, Chikkaballapur and others where COVID-19 positive cases have been reported, the KSRTC is planning to operate sanitizer buses. We may convert 18 to 20 buses for the time being.”
In Karnataka, in several districts such as Ramanagar, Mandya and others disinfectant tunnels have already been launched at markets where farmers and wholesalers gather in large numbers.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Bengaluru / by Special Correspondent / April 11th, 2020
Designed, engineered, and manufactured in India, the country’s first NIV system, Saans Pro, can be used to treat patients with worsening hypoxemia – low level of oxygen in blood.
Image for representation.
Mumbai :
Bengaluru-based InnAccel Technologies on Wednesday announced the launch of a non-invasive ventilation (NIV) system for use in the ICU with COVID-19 patients.
Designed, engineered, and manufactured in India, the country’s first NIV system, Saans Pro, can be used to treat patients with worsening hypoxemia – low level of oxygen in blood – who are not distressed and have no other organ failure, the company claimed in a statement here.
It can also serve as a backup ventilation system when a ventilator or trained staff for intubation is not immediately available, it added.
InnAccel is a product innovation platform with a diverse portfolio of globally certified medical devices.
With over 14 lakh cases worldwide, there is a dire need for adequate respiratory support, such as invasive and non-invasive ventilation systems that can provide breathing assistance to critically-ill COVID-19 patients, the release said.
As COVID-19 cases continue to increase in India, InnAccel’s infrastructure-independent NIV system can prove to be an essential tool to support the country’s fight against this deadly virus, the company noted.
NIV ventilation systems are being recommended in countries like the US, the UK, Italy and China, it added.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Bengaluru / by PTI / April 10th, 2020
The device collects respiratory data through a thin sensor sheet which is to be placed below the mattress and positioned right underneath the patient’s chest area.
Mysuru :
As medical practitioners and health experts work round-the-clock to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic, health care startup .
Dozee has offered the use of its portable device to ease the burden on doctors in Bengaluru. Dozee’s contactless health monitor, which tracks respiration, can be used by anybody, even someone with no technical expertise and can help doctors remotely check on patients’ progress.So far, the Bengaluru based start-up has distributed around 200 devices in the state capital for free to quarantined residents.
The device collects respiratory data through a thin sensor sheet which is to be placed below the mattress and positioned right underneath the patient’s chest area.Readings taken by the device are sent to an app that can be downloaded on your phone.Respiratory diffulties are among the symptoms of Covid-19.
“When patients are on the bed, their health data will be captured and shared with doctors remotely. The device tracks heartbeat, respiration, sleep, stress recovery and more with medical-grade 98.4 per cent accuracy and raises early alerts of health deterioration. With restricted movement in the current lockdown, our device is helping doctors monitor all the patients using a single screen and provide care to all the elders even with reduced staff,” said Mudit Dandwate, CEO and Co-Founder of Dozee.
The brainchild of Mudit Dandwate and Gaurav Parchani, the startup has the capacity of producing 5,000 devices per week. Dandwate said they have scaled up production to meet a demand of 1,00,000 devices per week to help the health care system. They are currently getting orders through their website.
The start-up has also tied up with the Rajasthan government to enable their hospital wards with continuous monitoring technology.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Karnataka / by Karthik K K / Express News Service / April 07th, 2020
The sanitiser tunnel at Sir M. Visvesaraya district stadium in Mandya.
Actor Nikhil, son for former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy, has established a sanitiser tunnel at Sir M. Visvesaraya district stadium in Mandya where the temporary market has been established.
He, however, skipped the inauguration programme of the facility citing the reason of his visit could attract his fans in large number thereby leading to violation of the COVID-19 lockdown restrictions.
The Janata Dal (Secular) youth wing president was supposed to arrive at the stadium to inaugurate it at 7.30 a.m. His party’s local leaders had made arrangements to welcome him.
Later, the local party leaders informally inaugurated the tunnel and handed it over to the district administration.
At least 3,000 persons – both the sellers and buyers – visit the stadium every day. The sanitiser tunnel would spray disinfectants on people when they enter the stadium.
The party has put photos of Mr. Nikhil, his father, grandfather and former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda, and MLAs and MLCs representing the district on the sanitiser tunnel.
Mr. Nikhil is all set to marry the grandniece of former minister and Congress leader M. Krishnappa in Bengaluru on April 17.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> States> Karnataka / by M.T. ShivaKumar / Mandya – April 07th, 2020
