People & Culture

Apr 10, 2020
Arthrex Manufactures and Donates Personal Protective Equipment for Health Care Workers

Arthrex is demonstrating its core value of Making People Better through the manufacturing and donation of personal protective equipment (PPE) for health care workers taking care of patients with the COVID-19 virus.

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Arthrex collaborated with medical professionals, local emergency services and health care administrators to assess the biggest needs of the essential workers treating and interacting with patients infected with the virus. The most significant project to date involves the manufacturing of protective face shields and protective hoods.

"Everyone here is excited and eager to continue developing products that make our caregivers safer," said AMC Medical Director Paul Hobaica, MD.

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Using 3D printers and manufacturing equipment, Arthrex is now producing up to 2,000 protective face shields per week at AMIE for donation to local hospitals. The high-quality, reusable shields provide full-face protection for health care workers.

Arthrex has also started manufacturing transparent plexiglass hoods which can be used to protect health care workers from the virus, especially during intubation, the process of inserting a tube through a patient’s mouth into their airway. This is an essential step in placing patients on a ventilator, a standard treatment for patients with severe cases of COVID-19. The hoods decrease the clinicians’ exposure to the virus and can be disinfected and used for the next patient. They will be donated to hospitals and also be carried in many ambulances.  

PPE

“It’s been a total team effort to make this happen,” said VP of Global Medical Education Christopher Adams, MD, who collaborated with Arthrex manufacturing leads, the Arthrex Medical Center team, and community clinicians and EMS to ensure the hoods are engineered effectively.

“We believe these protection hoods will save lives,” added Dr. Adams.

In March, Arthrex donated hundreds of N95 masks, surgical gowns and protective eyewear to hospitals in Southwest Florida and upstate South Carolina.

Additionally, Arthrex has loaned medical grade sterilization units to Lee Health and the North Collier Regional Fire & Rescue District to disinfect the PPE team members are reusing.

“Thank you to all of the hardworking first responders serving our communities,” said Senior Director of Operations David Bumpous. “We’re pleased to have replenished some supplies and donated sterilization systems to help disinfect their crucially needed equipment.”

Thank you to each and every Arthrex team member for their contributions to these projects. 

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