Frontline hospital staff start treating COVID-19 patients in Southampton respirator hood
A pioneering personal respirator developed by researchers at the University of Southampton has been introduced to hospital wards for staff treating patients with COVID-19.
University Hospital Southampton is the first healthcare provider to widely introduce the pioneering protective respirator hood, designed by an engineering team working with medical staff, electronics experts and industry partners.
The protective equipment, known as PeRSo , consists of a fabric hood which covers the wearer's head and a plastic visor to protect their face.
A prototype for the small portable unit was developed in just a week, then tested on wards and manufactured at scale in less than a month.
The first deliveries of a 5,000 unit order have arrived and are now subject to an initial clinical evaluation as a replacement for surgical masks in selected areas.
The multi-disciplinary PeRSo team, led by Professor Paul Elkington and Professor Hywel Morgan, includes Southampton engineers Alex Dickinson , Mark Mavrogordato , Antonio De Grazia and Sebastian Rosini.