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FAQ

  • What is a ViraBox?

    Clinicians with inadequate access to standard personal protective equipment (PPE) have been compelled to improvise protective barrier enclosures for use during procedures manipulating the airway like endotracheal intubation. We developed a transparent plexiglass cube designed to cover a patient’s head and that incorporates two circular ports through which the clinician’s hands are passed to perform the airway procedure.
  • Who does the ViraBox help?

    One of the biggest challenges in curbing the spread of this virus is that it is communicable in contact and droplets, but during certain manipulation of the airway (or airway procedures), the virus can be aerosolized, which increases risk of exposure to the health care workers.

    The Virabox provides with its innovative design and engineering additional protection between medical staff and patient when performing aerosolized procedures (like endotracheal intubations, bronchoscopies, etc) in a patient with known or suspected COVID-19.

  • What are the benefits of using the ViraBox?

    Performing procedures on COVID-19 patients that can aerosolized the virus are considered extremely high-risk procedure for health care workers. Virabox has been engineer design reduce this risk by containing the aerosols generated by the patient during this high risk procedures.
  • Why was the ViraBox Created?

    Virabox has been created to reduce the risk of health care workers when performing aerosolized generating procedures like nebulizations, non-invasive ventilation, endotracheal intubation, and bronchoscopies. There are plans to do a surgical design for the use on minor head/neck procedures like tracheostomies.
  • Who invented the ViraBox?

    Dr. Chug recognized the need for better protective equipment when he started a rotation in intensive care in March 2020 and faced the challenge of providing specialized care in an environment where preventing exposure to the coronavirus was a matter of life and death for compromised patients and potentially for frontline healthcare providers.

    As Dr. Chug began sketching a design for PPE that would restrict exposure while allowing safe execution of medical procedures, he discovered a box-like structure created by Dr. Hsien Yung Lai in Taiwan. Though the concept was similar, this type of box would not be adequate for Dr. Chug’s purpose. He needed more functionality, including the ability to accommodate different sized people and permit easy access to the patient to allow the dexterity required for precise medical procedures. In the span of a week, Chug developed a design that could tick all the boxes, but he needed engineering assistance. Luis Mario Rodriguez, a mechanical engineer at TVO, brought the preliminary design to the company and worked with the engineering team to develop the ViraBox, a large, plastic enclosure that covers the upper part of a patient while allowing medical personnel to use sealed access holes to provide care.

  • Why is the ViraBox better than alternatives?

    We found that alternative internet box design restricted hand movement and would require training before use in the treatment of patients. In addition, this alternative box is very narrow and will be inadequate for use of bigger patient with high BMI. Virabox has been design to provide more functionality, including the ability to accommodate different sized people and permit easy access to the patient to allow the dexterity required for precise medical procedures.
  • How can someone get a ViraBox?

    A website for direct purchase is available. Our company has donated several devices but due to high cost of material we have created a donation site for anyone interested to donate.
  • How long will it take for my ViraBox to arrive?

    We are working hard to make Virabox available as soon as possible but due to demand we cannot guarantee arrival date but we estimate a shipping and handling period of less than 2 weeks.
  • How long does it take to construct the ViraBox?

    Due to high quality material and precise engineering, Virabox making takes a few days to be ready to shipping.