The international context has, in recent years, been marked by local epidemics of Viral Hemorrhagic Fever (Ebola type) which may represent a risk of introducing isolated cases into France. The Angers University Hospital, as a regional reference health establishment for Epidemic and Biological Risk (REB) – must be able to care for patients suspected of viral infection. The Angevin university hospital center is therefore equipped with the Elytron, a high isolation unit that can be deployed in a few hours.
This project for a deployable unit, supported by the ARS Pays de la Loire, is a first in France in the management of emerging biological risk. The Elytron is a device designed by the company Utilis in close collaboration with the hospital teams at the University Hospital.
If a patient were to arrive with symptoms of Viral Hemorrhagic Fever such as Ebola, the REB team at Angers University Hospital would then be mobilized.
Objective ? Deploy this semi-rigid equipment near emergencies and resuscitation
medical treatment in less than 3 hours. All this while respecting the technical constraints necessary for the establishment of a High Isolation Unit.
Following the principle of forward movement, the Elytron is made up of a treatment room, an entrance airlock providing access to two negative pressure rooms, each equipped with an exit airlock. The air is treated and released safely.
The mobile and modular nature of the Elytron offers the possibility for health authorities to relocate this expertise locally or abroad to provide support as close as possible to the health crisis situation.
Since the acquisition of the Elytron, teams have been training in its use with the support of CESU, the Emergency Care Teaching Center.
Ultimately, at the hospital level, 80 hospital staff – mainly caregivers (1) – will be mobilized in the event of a REB alert.
(1) From emergency departments, intensive care units and infectious diseases (SMIT)
Related News :