SALT LAKE CITY, April 23, 2020 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Wildhorn Outfitters, an outdoor technology company that designs and manufactures recreational products for retail customers, has developed and tested an adapted design to its full-faced snorkel masks (FFSM) that can be used as personal protective equipment (PPE) for frontline healthcare workers and others. Adaptations of this nature have been authorized by the FDA to serve as a supplemental source of protection for front line workers in hospitals and healthcare settings in the absence of standard PPE, addressing the national shortage of N95 masks across the United States.
Wildhorn is working to supply masks, along with free 3D print files for the adaptor design to the medical community. MasksOn.org, a physician-led non-profit organization founded to design, manufacture and donate high-quality emergency PPE for healthcare workers has already procured thousands of Wildhorn masks to further the group's national effort. In addition, Wildhorn has donated 300 masks to Utah based Mountain West Anesthesia, which are already in use.
"We have access to one of the largest supplies of FFSM in the nation, and when we saw European hospitals had successfully adapted and were using them to address the crisis, we knew we could help," Wildhorn CEO Mark Thomas said. "Our team has been working around the clock to redesign, test and adapt our FFSM to supplement the national PPE shortage as we know this solution will impact the safety of those in the front lines of the pandemic."
Wildhorn snorkel masks are easily adaptable, reusable and sanitizable. The masks have a natural breathing design that allows medical staff to wear them all day and breath easily. There is an airtight seal around the face which also prevents contaminants from getting inside and the masks have a wide field of vision which is necessary in a medical setting.
"Frontline medical professionals caring for COVID-19 patients are at extremely high-risk of exposure. Intubation, extubation and other aerosolizing procedures put healthcare professionals directly in harm's way. We're doing everything we can to keep them safe, and the addition of supply from Wildhorn allows us to adapt and get these masks to the people who need it most as a critical part of our effort," said Dr. Alexander Stone, Resident, at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston and co-founder of MasksOn.org
The Wildhorn team has worked along-side experts at the Stanford School of Engineering and Medicine, University of Utah and other collaborative partners including testing equipment resource Raeco Rents to research and test necessary design modifications to enable FFSM to supplement PPE. They have developed an adaptor that can be 3D printed and snapped into the mask. Users would simply add a standard 22mm anesthesiology filter to complete the adaptation. The 3D files are free and available on the Wildhorn website.
For more information about Wildhorn adapted masks LINK
For more information about the MasksOn.org mission LINK
About Wildhorn Outfitters:
Wildhorn Outfitters is an outdoor gear company that believes in making it easy for everyone to share outdoor experiences that celebrate life and strengthen connections. Each of the unique products is specially designed to help people make the most of their time outdoors with thoughtful design elements and durable quality. As an industry leader in technical and design expertise, Wildhorn assists in enhancing outdoor lifestyles everywhere.
SOURCE Wildhorn Outfitters
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