WLKY News Story | April 9, 2020
Solid Light is helping doctors and nurses combat the COVID-19 virus by creating protective, clear acrylic intubation boxes, allowing medical professionals to safely provide care for patients having respiratory issues.
“These boxes keep the virus from aerosolizing and getting into the emergency room,” said Solid Light Fabrication Manager Mike Marnell. “When a patient coughs or sneezes, the droplets are contained within the intubation box. They’re not going all over the ER or on doctors’ masks or face shields. All the doctors and nurses have to change are their gloves. They wash up and move on to the next patient.”
The intubation box was designed by a doctor in Taiwan, who released the design for what he called the “aerosol box” to the world about two weeks ago. After Marnell learned about the device from his sister-in-law, a doctor in California, he and two other fabricators at Solid Light built a prototype and then improved it. Each box is 23 inches wide by 20 inches tall by 16 inches deep. Solid Light sent a handful of prototypes to doctors in some of the areas hardest hit by the virus. As positive word-of-mouth spread, orders began to come in. More than 60 intubation boxes have been sent to doctors in New York City, California, Oregon, Georgia, and Kentucky.
“We must protect our doctors and nurses, the heroes on the front lines of this crisis,” said Solid Light Owner and President Cynthia Torp. “These intubation boxes are our way to contribute. Given the urgent demand for personal protective equipment, we want to spread the word and get as many as possible into the hands of medical professionals.”
Medical professionals who wish to order the boxes should contact Mike Marnell at 917.370.9653, mmarnell@solidlight-inc.com or Mark Sargent, 859.312.8155, msargent@solidlight-inc.com. The intubation boxes are only part of Solid Light’s ongoing work during the coronavirus pandemic. While nearly 70% of Solid Light’s fabrication employees are laid off due to the shutdown and most of the rest of the staff is working from home, design work continues on museum projects and visitor destinations across the country.
