Negative Pressure COVID-19 Ward Built in 15 Minutes... KAIST Develops MCM

Development of Mobile Negative Pressure Ward for Infectious Disease Critical Care
Installation and Pilot Operation of a Ward with 4 Beds at the Korea Institute of Radiological & Medical Sciences
Rapid Conversion for Use as Negative Pressure Beds or Screening Clinics Possible

Exterior view of the MCM installed at the Korea Institute of Radiological & Medical Sciences

[Asia Economy Reporter Junho Hwang] Domestic researchers have developed a mobile negative pressure ward for severe COVID-19 patients. This ward can be completed within 20 days at only 20% of the construction cost of existing negative pressure wards. There is growing interest in whether this can be a solution to the shortage of negative pressure beds caused by the surge in severe COVID-19 patients.

The Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) announced on the 7th that it has installed four 'Mobile Negative Pressure Wards (MCM)' at the Korea Institute of Radiological & Medical Sciences in Nowon-gu, Seoul, and will conduct a pilot operation until the 15th. The research team led by Professor Nam Taekjin of the Department of Industrial Design, part of the university’s COVID-19 Response Science and Technology New Deal Project Group, began research in July last year as part of the development project for Korean-style quarantine package technology and developed the MCM.

Development of Mobile Negative Pressure Ward

Economic Comparison Table of MCM

The MCM is a negative pressure isolation facility equipped with advanced medical equipment. It is approximately 450㎡ (136 pyeong) in size, measuring 15m in width by 30m in length. The MCM consists of a negative pressure anteroom for intensive care, four negative pressure patient rooms, a nursing station, a changing room, various medical equipment storage rooms, and a medical staff room.

Its key feature is the ability to be rapidly transformed or modified. Equipped with a negative pressure frame, air tents, and functional panels, the MCM can be quickly converted or modified into negative pressure beds or screening clinics by combining components. Existing intensive care beds can also be converted into negative pressure beds.

It is also a different type of negative pressure ward compared to existing prefabricated infectious disease wards using containers or tents. Existing facilities have difficulty creating a negative pressure environment and are insufficient for accommodating intensive care patients, whereas the MCM can be used as a stable negative pressure ward through its independent device called the 'negative pressure frame' that forms a negative pressure environment. The negative pressure frame adjusts pressure bidirectionally to effectively create negative pressure in two air tent spaces (anteroom and patient room). Functional panels can be combined with the tents to accommodate medical equipment or basic room furnishings necessary for intensive care. Through modular combinations, it can be used as medical facilities tailored to purposes such as negative pressure wards, screening clinics, negative pressure intensive care beds, or negative pressure general wards.

Mobile Negative Pressure Ward with Cost-effectiveness and Speed

The appearance of the MCM installed at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology

A team member said, "It takes about 14 days to manufacture the ward modules, and about 5 days for transportation and installation." In particular, the basic unit of the MCM, composed of an anteroom and patient room, can be installed within 15 minutes if the modular materials are prepared on-site. The prototype of the air tent-type negative pressure ward is produced by Shinsung ENG, a project partner company, and a mobile infectious disease hospital with 6 to 8 intensive care beds can be delivered within 3 to 4 weeks.

Compared to the cost of expanding existing prefabricated wards, the installation cost of the MCM is about 20%, which is also an advantage. Unlike existing prefabricated wards that are difficult to store after infectious disease outbreaks, the MCM can be stored with volume and weight reduced by more than 70%. It can be stockpiled like military supplies and quickly introduced and installed when infectious diseases spread. The modular package is also capable of air transport.

The research team also jointly developed Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) for mobile infectious disease hospitals with medical staff at the Korea Institute of Radiological & Medical Sciences. This is a measure to ensure safety during infectious disease response and to enhance the practical use of mobile negative pressure wards by medical staff operating them for the first time. Dr. Jominsoo Cho, head of emergency medical services at the Korea Institute of Radiological & Medical Sciences, said, "It was designed to ensure that severe patient treatment is carried out in a safe environment for both patients and medical staff in response to COVID-19," adding, "When distributed domestically and internationally, the mobile negative pressure ward installed at the institute can function as a medical staff training center. Support for actual medical field operations is also possible if needed."

MCM Completed in 6 Months... Export Prospects Expected

Schematic diagram illustrating the function of the negative pressure frame.

The MCM was developed in six months from user research to design and prototype development. Professor Nam Taekjin said, "The MCM will become an essential quarantine system that minimizes ward expansion and addresses recurring infectious disease crises," and added, "We expect to promote the hardware and operational know-how of the world’s first developed MCM as a core product of K-quarantine and anticipate exports."

The research team installed a ward with four intensive care beds at the Korea Institute of Radiological & Medical Sciences in Nowon-gu, Seoul, starting December 28 last year. They then began simulations involving medical staff and a mock patient group composed of the general public to check the entire treatment process, including medical activities and patients’ daily lives. The simulation will continue until the 15th of this month.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.