Enhancing safety for healthcare workers with Bubble PAPR

The University of Manchester, in collaboration with staff in the Intensive Care Unit of Wythenshawe Hospital and consultancy Designing Science Ltd, has developed the novel Bubble PAPR. Bubble is a Powered Air-Purifying Respirator (PAPR), designed to enhance safety for healthcare workers on the frontline of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Identifying an urgent need for better PPE

When the COVID-19 pandemic emerged in early 2020, healthcare services faced an unprecedented challenge. 
Medical staff had to work with ill-fitting PPE, which not only hindered communication between colleagues and patients but also impacted their overall well-being. While powered air-purifying respirators (PAPRs) had been available for years, they were not originally designed for the widespread, frequent use required during the pandemic. 

Improving safety and communication for staff and patients

The team secured funding from the University’s Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) Impact Acceleration Account, MFT and MIMIT Health/Manchester Oxford Road Corridor to prototype a low cost, ergonomic and highly functional PPE respirator, named Bubble PAPR. Bubble was designed to reduce transmission of the COVID-19 virus to healthcare workers while also improving the quality of critical communication between staff and vastly improving overall patient experience.

Expanding the reach of Bubble PAPR

Bubble PAPR underwent a robust process of user centred design, engineering optimisation, feasibility testing, regulatory compliance, and intellectual property protection to ensure the product was ready for use in the wider market. The partnership secured a commercial agreement with GAMA Healthcare – a dynamic, innovative UK company at the forefront of infection prevention technology. GAMA Healthcare’s global reach will produce Bubble PAPR in large volumes with the intention to have the respirator widely available for frontline staff by early 2022.