scholarly journals Fit Testing Retrofitted Full-Face Snorkel Masks as a Form of Novel Personal Protective Equipment During the COVID-19 Pandemic

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-16
Author(s):  
Stephanie Toigo ◽  
Michel Jacques ◽  
Tarek Razek ◽  
Ewa Rajda ◽  
Sidney Omelon ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Personal Protective Equipment ◽  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Health Centre ◽  
Disease Outbreaks ◽  
Protective Equipment ◽  
Test Results ◽  
Passing Rate ◽  
Fit Testing ◽  
Full Face ◽  
Medical Grade

ABSTRACT Objective: Bottlenecks in the personal protective equipment (PPE) supply chain have contributed to shortages of PPE during the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in fractures in the functionality of healthcare systems. This study was conducted with the aim of determining the effectiveness of retrofitted commercial snorkel masks as an alternative respirator for healthcare workers during infectious disease outbreaks. Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed, analyzing qualitative and quantitative fit test results of the retrofitted Aria Ocean Reef® full-face snorkeling mask on healthcare workers at the McGill University Health Centre between April-June 2020. Historical fit test results, using medical-grade respirators, for healthcare workers were also analyzed. Results: During the study period, 71 participants volunteered for fit testing, 60.6% of which were nurses. The overall fit test passing rate using the snorkel mask was 83.1%. Of the participants who did not previously pass fit testing with medical-grade respirators, 80% achieved a passing fit test with the snorkel respirator. Conclusions: The results suggest that this novel respirator may be an effective and feasible alternative solution to address PPE shortages, while still providing healthcare workers with ample protection. Additional robust testing will be required to ensure that respirator fit is maintained, after numerous rounds of disinfection.

scholarly journals 3D-printed snorkel mask adapter for failed N95 fit tests and personal protective equipment shortages

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 203-209
Author(s):  
Shiv Dalla ◽  
Rohit Shinde ◽  
Jack Ayres ◽  
Stephen Waller ◽  
Jay Nachtigal
Keyword(s):  
3D Printing ◽  
Health System ◽  
Personal Protective Equipment ◽  
Kansas City ◽  
Protective Equipment ◽  
University Of Kansas ◽  
Fit Testing ◽  
3D Printed ◽  
Full Face ◽  
The University

Personal protective equipment (PPE) shortages persist amidst increasing COVID-19 caseloads. These shortages encouraged some to pursue 3D printing to produce stopgap N95 alternatives. The design presented is an adapter for a commercially available snorkel mask to serve as a full-face respirator, used in dire PPE shortages or in individuals who failed fit testing. Masks were fit tested at The University of Kansas Health System in Kansas City, KS. The mask was fit tested on 22 individuals who previously failed fit testing, and all passed qualitative fit testing with the snorkel mask, adapter and viral filter apparatus. The authors endorse this design as a stopgap measure, proven to be effective in situations of dire PPE shortage or for individuals who have failed fit testing with conventional PPE.

scholarly journals Pneumask: Modified Full-Face Snorkel Masks as Reusable Personal Protective Equipment for Hospital Personnel

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laurel Kroo ◽  
Anesta Kothari ◽  
Melanie Hannebelle ◽  
George Herring ◽  
Thibaut Pollina ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Personal Protective Equipment ◽  
Medical Personnel ◽  
Protective Equipment ◽  
Filter Performance ◽  
Usability Tests ◽  
Care Workers ◽  
Key Points ◽  
Full Face ◽  
N95 Respirators ◽  
Medical Grade

ABSTRACTHere we adapt and evaluate a full-face snorkel mask for use as personal protective equipment (PPE) for health care workers, who lack appropriate alternatives during the COVID-19 crisis in the spring of 2020. The design (referred to as Pneumask) consists of a custom snorkel-specific adapter that couples the snorkel-port of the mask to a rated filter (either a medical-grade ventilator inline filter or an industrial filter). This design has been tested for the sealing capability of the mask, filter performance, CO2 buildup and clinical usability. These tests found the Pneumask capable of forming a seal that exceeds the standards required for half-face respirators or N95 respirators. Filter testing indicates a range of options with varying performance depending on the quality of filter selected, but with typical filter performance exceeding or comparable to the N95 standard. CO2 buildup was found to be roughly equivalent to levels found in half-face elastomeric respirators in literature. Clinical usability tests indicate sufficient visibility and, while speaking is somewhat muffled, this can be addressed via amplification (Bluetooth voice relay to cell phone speakers through an app) in noisy environments. We present guidance on the assembly, usage (donning and doffing) and decontamination protocols. The benefit of the Pneumask as PPE is that it is reusable for longer periods than typical disposable N95 respirators, as the snorkel mask can withstand rigorous decontamination protocols (that are standard to regular elastomeric respirators). With the dire worldwide shortage of PPE for medical personnel, our conclusions on the performance and efficacy of Pneumask as an N95-alternative technology are cautiously optimistic.Key pointsFull-face snorkel masks are adapted for use as Personal Protective Equipment during the COVID-19 crisis, using a custom adapter that facilitates the attachment of inline medical-grade respiratory filters or NIOSH industrial respirator filters. This solution was designed as a reusable stopgap solution for healthcare workers to help address the short-term global N95 respirator shortage.

scholarly journals Protecting healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic: Australian results from the PPE-SAFE survey.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mahesh Ramanan ◽  
Alexis Tabah ◽  
Kevin Laupland
Keyword(s):  
Adverse Effect ◽  
Intensive Care ◽  
Personal Protective Equipment ◽  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Significant Proportion ◽  
Protective Equipment ◽  
The World ◽  
Fit Testing ◽  
Single Use ◽  
Current Practices

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to global shortages of personal protective equipment (PPE). Healthcare workers (HCW) have comprised a significant proportion of COVID-19 cases in many countries. The PPE-SAFE survey was conducted to study current practices, availability, shortages, training and confidence in PPE amongst intensive care HCWs around the world. Herein, we describe the results of the Australian respondents to the PPE-SAFE survey. 29% of respondents reported that at least one item of usually available PPE was missing, and 12% reported reuse of single-use items. Only 40% felt that the PPE available to them offered adequate protection. Fit-testing of respirators had never been performed for 47% of respondents, and 49% reported at least one adverse effect from the use of PPE.

scholarly journals Protection Level and Reusability of a Modified Full-Face Snorkel Mask as Alternative Personal Protective Equipment for Healthcare Workers During the COVID-19 Pandemic

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jean Schmitt ◽  
Lewis S. Jones ◽  
Elise A. Aeby ◽  
Christian Gloor ◽  
Berthold Moser ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Personal Protective Equipment ◽  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Face Mask ◽  
Protective Equipment ◽  
Additional Protection ◽  
Small Virus ◽  
3D Printed ◽  
Full Face

The worldwide outbreak of the COVID-19 drastically increased pressure on medical resources and highlighted the need for rapidly available, large-scale and low-cost personal protective equipment (PPE). In this work, an alternative full-face mask is adapted from a modified snorkel mask to be used as PPE with two medical grade filters and a 3D-printed adapter. As the mask covers the eyes, mouth and nose, it acts as a full-face shield, providing additional protection to healthcare workers. The filtration efficiency of different medical filters is measured for particles below 300 nm to cover the size of the SARS-CoV-2 and small virus-laden droplets. The filtration performance of the adapted full-face mask is characterized using NaCl particles below 500 nm and different fitting scenarios. The mask is compared to a commercial respirator and characterized according to the EN 149 standard, demonstrating that the protection fulfills the requirements for the FFP2 level (filtering face-piece 2, stopping at least 94% of airborne particles). The device shows a good resistance to several cycles of decontamination (autoclaving and ethanol immersion), is easy to be produced locally at low cost and helps addressing the shortage in FFP2 masks and face shields by providing adequate protection to healthcare workers against particles below 500 nm.

scholarly journals Respiratory personal protective equipment for healthcare workers: impact of sex differences on respirator fit test results

2021 ◽  
Vol 126 (1) ◽  
pp. e48-e49
Author(s):  
Anna Ascott ◽  
Paul Crowest ◽  
Eleanor de Sausmarez ◽  
Mansoor Khan ◽  
Abhijoy Chakladar
Keyword(s):  
Sex Differences ◽  
Personal Protective Equipment ◽  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Protective Equipment ◽  
Test Results

scholarly journals Stress and Associated Factors among Frontline Healthcare Workers in the COVID-19 Epicenter of Da Nang City, Vietnam

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (14) ◽  
pp. 7378
Author(s):  
Nhan Phuc Thanh Nguyen ◽  
Duong Dinh Le ◽  
Robert Colebunders ◽  
Joseph Nelson Siewe Fodjo ◽  
Trung Dinh Tran ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Personal Protective Equipment ◽  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Stress Component ◽  
Multivariable Analysis ◽  
Working Hours ◽  
Health Facilities ◽  
Protective Equipment ◽  
Laboratory Workers ◽  
Frontline Healthcare Workers ◽  
Second Wave

Frontline healthcare workers (HCWs) involved in the COVID-19 response have a higher risk of experiencing psychosocial distress amidst the pandemic. Between July and September 2020, a second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic appeared in Vietnam with Da Nang city being the epicenter. During the outbreak, HCWs were quarantined within the health facilities in a bid to limit the spread of COVID-19 to their respective communities. Using the stress component of the 21-item Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21), we assessed the level of stress among HCWs in Da Nang city. Between 30 August and 15 September 2020, 746 frontline HCWs were recruited to fill in an online structured questionnaire. Overall, 44.6% of participants experienced increased stress and 18.9% severe or extremely severe stress. In multivariable analysis, increased stress was associated with longer working hours (OR = 1.012; 95% CI: 1.004–1.019), working in health facilities providing COVID-19 treatment (OR = 1.58, 95% CI: 1.04–2.39), having direct contact with patients or their bio-samples (physicians, nurses and laboratory workers; OR = 1.42, 95% CI: 1.02–1.99), low confidence in the available personal protective equipment (OR = 0.846; 95% CI: 0.744–0.962) and low knowledge on COVID-19 prevention and treatment (OR = 0.853; 95% CI: 0.739–0.986). In conclusion, many frontline HCWs experienced increased stress during the COVID-19 outbreak in Da Nang city. Reducing working time, providing essential personal protective equipment and enhancing the knowledge on COVID-19 will help to reduce this stress. Moreover, extra support is needed for HCWs who are directly exposed to COVID-19 patients.

scholarly journals Acoustic voice characteristics with and without wearing a facemask

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Duy Duong Nguyen ◽  
Patricia McCabe ◽  
Donna Thomas ◽  
Alison Purcell ◽  
Maree Doble ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Personal Protective Equipment ◽  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Protective Equipment ◽  
Mask Condition ◽  
Connected Speech ◽  
Significant Attenuation ◽  
Cepstral Peak Prominence ◽  
Vocal Intensity ◽  
Significant Change ◽  
The Voice

AbstractFacemasks are essential for healthcare workers but characteristics of the voice whilst wearing this personal protective equipment are not well understood. In the present study, we compared acoustic voice measures in recordings of sixteen adults producing standardised vocal tasks with and without wearing either a surgical mask or a KN95 mask. Data were analysed for mean spectral levels at 0–1 kHz and 1–8 kHz regions, an energy ratio between 0–1 and 1–8 kHz (LH1000), harmonics-to-noise ratio (HNR), smoothed cepstral peak prominence (CPPS), and vocal intensity. In connected speech there was significant attenuation of mean spectral level at 1–8 kHz region and there was no significant change in this measure at 0–1 kHz. Mean spectral levels of vowel did not change significantly in mask-wearing conditions. LH1000 for connected speech significantly increased whilst wearing either a surgical mask or KN95 mask but no significant change in this measure was found for vowel. HNR was higher in the mask-wearing conditions than the no-mask condition. CPPS and vocal intensity did not change in mask-wearing conditions. These findings implied an attenuation effects of wearing these types of masks on the voice spectra with surgical mask showing less impact than the KN95.

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