A man from Morro Bay who owns a local construction company is using his talents to help those on the front lines during the coronavirus pandemic.
Paul Choucalas created a clear vinyl box to protect healthcare workers during the intubation process. Intubation shields are products that are already in use; however, Choucalas said he did some research while working with medical professionals on the central coast and felt the shield could be improved to better protect healhcare workers.
Choucalas said this all started as a favor for a friend, and turned into quite a hot product that doctors all over the country want to get their hands on.
During the intubation process, a tube is inserted into a patients lungs and an aerosal gas comes out that could be filled with the virus and expelled into the operators face, getting into their eyes and ears.
When describing the shield, Choucalas said, "This shield I made protects them from that (gas). Also, sometimes during the intubation process, they'll have a little bit of difficulty putting the tube down, and on this shield that I made, they can fold it back, finish putting the tube in and push it back up to keep the protection in place."
These shields have been shipped to Dallas, Sacramento and are even being used at Marian Regional Medical Center in Santa Maria. Choucalas said he hopes to have them used not only at the hospitals but also in ambulances for paramedics who are doing intubation in the vehicle.
Click here for more information on the intubation defense shield, or to place an order.
