Cynic Member’s Communication Tool Could Help Intubated COVID Patients

Cynic bandleader Paul Masvidal has created a communication tool that could help intubated coronavirus (COVID-19) patients.

Dubbed the "EZ Board," the musician devised the gadget with a former partner around 20 years ago. At the time, the Cynic member was volunteering with the terminally ill. Now, Masvidal thinks the tool can help those hospitalized with coronavirus who must have a tube inserted into their windpipe to breathe.

The EZ Board helps intubated patients indicate their needs to hospital staff. It's a "sturdy but lightweight picture and word board that allows weak, ventilated patients to express wants, convey needs, and indicate the type, degree and location of their pain and other concerns," its manufacturer has explained.

Masvidal and co-creator Lance Patak first obtained a U.S. patent for the invention in 2002. But while the Cynic singer and guitarist is no longer involved with the company making the devices, the musician still advocates for their use and recently took to social media to advertise a fundraiser for the EZ Board.

"Intubated COVID-19 patients are too weak to write legibly and cannot speak, which leaves them scared, anxious and often in a state of delirium which can lead to complications and prolonged hospital stays," Masvidal shared in an Instagram post last week (April 18).

He continued, "Vidatak, a company I started … produces and distributes the EZ Board, and is providing them to hospitals around the world free of charge. However, supplies and funding for shipping are dwindling fast." Visit the GoFundMe to help distribute the EZ Board to patients in need here.

Masvidal started prog-metal act Cynic with drummer Sean Reinert in 1987. Reinert died earlier this year at the age of 48. As a solo artist, Masvidal most recently released the album trilogy Mythical Human Vessel.

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