To produce the equipment, Esmaltec built a cleanroom, a controlled environment space, following the requirements of the country’s health regulatory authorities, and invested in molds for injection of exclusive plastic parts.
Esmaltec, a company of the Edson Queiroz Group and one of the largest national manufacturers of household appliances, began production of the hyperbaric helmet, known as Elmo, in December 2020. This equipment was developed in Ceará and aids in the treatment of various respiratory diseases, including COVID-19.
“Since the beginning of the pandemic, our focus has always been to help society and public authorities minimize the impacts of COVID-19. We were invited by Unifor to join the team developing the hyperbaric helmet, through a partnership with researchers, universities, and healthcare entities. Our team of engineers designed the exclusive components and invested in specific and unique injection molds for this product,” says Marcelo Pinto, Superintendent Director of Esmaltec.
The piece was inspired by the experience of Italian doctors who used diving masks in the treatment of coronavirus patients and the use of hyperbaric helmets used in decompression sickness, also used in Europe and the United States at the beginning of the pandemic. Joining forces in this project, in addition to Esmaltec, were the Government of Ceará, through the Department of Health (SESA), the School of Public Health of Ceará (ESP/CE), and the Cearense Foundation for Support to Scientific and Technological Development (Funcap), as well as the University of Fortaleza (Unifor), the Federation of Industries of Ceará (FIEC) through the National Service for Industrial Learning (Senai Ceará), and the Federal University of Ceará (UFC).
Using a mechanism of non-invasive artificial respiration, the helmet can be applied to patients considered of low and medium complexity, helping to reduce the need for intubation by up to 60%, also avoiding admission to an ICU.
To start production at the factory, Esmaltec needed to create an exclusive space: the cleanroom. Widely used in the pharmaceutical industry, for example, the cleanroom is a controlled environment with a series of specifications to prevent the presence of particles or microorganisms that can alter the product. In addition to building the space, factory employees were trained by specialists for the production and handling of the controlled environment.
“We spared no effort in this process. We restructured our physical space to build the ‘cleanroom’, which is a requirement of Anvisa (National Health Surveillance Agency). We understand that we need to remain vigilant and ready to help society in this fight, not only against COVID-19 but against any disease that may put people at risk,” Marcelo adds.
Since March, Esmaltec has been involved in various fronts and actions to minimize the impacts of COVID-19. Among them is the production of over 60,000 plastic components for the assembly of 30,000 face shields that were delivered to healthcare professionals in the public and private sectors in Ceará. Face shields were also produced and delivered to Esmaltec employees.
Additionally, the company made donations of hand sanitizer to families at risk in the municipality of Maracanaú, where Esmaltec’s factory is located.
In partnership with Shopping Iguatemi Fortaleza, a device for disinfecting shopping bags was developed. The Disinfection Booth, as it is called, uses ultraviolet rays to eliminate viruses and bacteria from plastic and paper surfaces.
For more information about Elmo, please click here:
Email: elmo@esmaltec.com.br
Tel.: +55 85 3299.8716
Cell/WhatsApp: +55 85 98802.6585