Articles: personal-protective-equipment.
-
Personal protective equipment creates a protective barrier for mucous membranes, airways, and skin in situations with possible exposure to biological material. ⋯ Though the use of personal protective equipment increased in the country as a whole, the rate of change varied widely between federal units. These findings highlight the need for changes in public policy and the implementation of permanent education programs for health care professionals, especially in regions with lower or stable rates of personal protective equipment use.
-
Background Tracheal intubation carries an elevated risk of exposure to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) due to the generation of aerosols containing high concentrations of the virus. An airway box was designed to mitigate the exposure of healthcare professionals performing intubations. Aim We evaluated usability and sustainability in the routine practice of the "airway box" as a protective device during high-risk airway procedures. Materials and methods After institutional review board approval, clinicians were educated on using the device through simulation, intranet learning modules, and emailed resources. ⋯ Conclusion Intubation boxes may effectively mitigate high-risk viral exposure during airway procedures. Survey responses show that devices were easy to use and did not significantly affect visualization of the airway. Similar to mask use, enclosure devices in clinical practice could become a vital part of medical protective equipment even after the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic if they are effectively implemented.
-
Healthcare workers (HCWs) are at high risk of developing SARS-CoV-2 infection. The aim of this single-centre prospective study was to evaluate the trend of SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence in HCWs working at the primary referral centre for infectious diseases and bioemergencies (eg, COVID-19) in Northern Italy and investigate the factors associated with seroconversion. ⋯ The seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 among the HCWs at our COVID-19 referral hospital was low at the time of the peak of the epidemic. The seroconversions were mainly attributable to extrahospital contacts, probably because the hospital readily adopted effective infection control measures. The relatively high number of asymptomatic seropositive HCWs highlights the need to promptly identify and isolate potentially infectious HCWs.
-
Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol · Feb 2021
Rationale and process for N95 respirator sanitation and re-use in the COVID-19 pandemic.
The novel SARS-CoV-2 virus was first reported in Wuhan, China in December 2019 and is notable for being highly contagious and potentially lethal and is mainly spread by droplet transmission. The US healthcare system's response to the COVID-19 pandemic has been challenged by a shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE), especially N95 respirators. Restricted use, re-use, and sanitation of PPE have been widely adopted to provide protection for frontline healthcare workers caring for often critically ill and highly contagious patients. This objective of this manuscript is to describe our validated process for N95 respirator sanitation. ⋯ This novel method of N95 respirator sanitation can safely enable re-use of the N95 respirator essential for healthcare workers caring for patients with COVID-19. Our high-throughput process can extend local supplies of this critical PPE until the national supply is replenished.