Invention that’s improving health care safety invented by Algonquin graduate
Posted Sep 26, 2022 06:30:00 PM.
An invention by an Algonquin College alumn is improving the safety of patients and staff in Canadian hospitals.
Algonquin College is awarding Frank Fiorenza with a Health Sciences Award, part of the Alumni of Distinction Awards, an accolade he said he is humbled to receive.
Fiorenza's product, the Flusso Bypass Adapter, improves the management of mechanically ventilated patients by preventing the patient's lungs from collapsing and re-expanding Fiorenza told The Sam Laprade Show on Sept. 26.
“And then it protects healthcare workers from airborne contaminants and aerosols, which obviously, with the unknown of COVID-19, was a huge concern, and still is, and there's still other things outside of COVID that are harmful to clinicians,” he explained.
A graduate of the Algonquin respiratory therapy program, he said he developed close bonds with the other 25 people in the program. After graduating, he worked in the cardiac intensive care unit at The Ottawa Hospital for 19 years, where he said he kept coming up with ideas to solve clinical problems.
“And then hit a point in my career where it's, do I act on these ideas and start to look at creating these products? Or do I just shelve them and wonder what if, in 10 years from now,” he said.
But Fiorenza doesn't like living with what-ifs.
His product was on the market for about a year before COVID-19 hit, and suddenly it became very in demand both in Canada and internationally.
“To see a device that you created, help thousands of lives and protect so many health care workers…that leaves me almost speechless,” he said.
Fiorenza will receive his award during the ceremony, which is being held on Sept. 29 at Algonquin's Ottawa campus.
Listen to the full interview with Frank Fiorenza below:
