A new protective barrier invented at the University of Nebraska Medical Center shields and protects health care workers from contagions and other contaminants during intubation procedures.

Inventors Dr. Thomas Schulte and Dr. Michael Ash, in collaboration with Scott Nepper at Design Plastics. Inc. in Omaha, developed the device in response to COVID-19 as a way to help offset the widespread shortages of personal protective equipment.

The intubation shield looks like a four-sided box made of a clear, lightweight plastic. It has ports so a health care worker can access the patient.

“The intubation shield provides an additional layer of safety and is so easy to use we plan on using the shield on every intubation of patients we suspect may have COVID-19,” said Schulte, an anesthesiologist at Nebraska Medicine.

– UNMC