scholarly journals Ultraviolet Germicidal Irradiation (UVGI) for Facemask Personal Protective Equipment (PPE): Protocol for a Systematic Review

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dayre McNally ◽  
Katie O'Hearn ◽  
Margaret Sampson ◽  
Lindsey Sikora

During the COVID-19 pandemic, a shortage of PPR (namely surgical masks, N95 masks, and gowns) has been experienced by some hospitals and could be expected in others due to a rapid increase need. One method of addressing the issue of PPE shortage is to decontaminate and re-use PPE. There are anecdotal reports and published literature evaluating the potential of Ultraviolet Germicidal Irradiation (UVGI) as effective method for PPE decontamination, without negatively impacting function. To date this literature has not been comprehensively synthesized and the purpose of this review is to systematically review the existing literature on UVGI for facemask PPE. This information will be used to develop a decontamination protocol for the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario and shared with other hospitals in Ontario, Canada, and internationally.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dayre McNally ◽  
Katie O'Hearn ◽  
Shira Gertsman ◽  
Margaret Sampson ◽  
Lindsey Sikora ◽  
...  

During the COVID-19 pandemic, a shortage of PPE (namely surgical masks, N95 masks, and gowns) has been experienced by some hospitals and could be expected in others due to a rapidly increased need. One method of addressing the issue of PPE shortage is to decontaminate and re-use PPE. The CDC specifically recommends N95 filtering facepiece respirators (FFRs) for healthcare workers who are interacting with patients with COVID-19.There are anecdotal reports and published literature evaluating the potential of microwave and heat methods as an effective method for FFR decontamination for reuse, with mixed reports of impact on structural integrity. To date this literature has not been comprehensively synthesized and the purpose of this review is to systematically review the existing literature on microwave and heat-based decontamination of facemask PPE.This information will be used to contribute to PPE decontamination protocols at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario and shared with other hospitals in Ontario, Canada, and internationally.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katie O'Hearn ◽  
Richard J Webster ◽  
Anne Tsampalieros ◽  
Margaret Sampson ◽  
Lindsey Sikora ◽  
...  

During the COVID-19 pandemic, a shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE), namely surgical masks, N95 masks, and gowns, has been experienced by some hospitals and could be expected in others due to a rapidly increased need. One method of addressing the shortage is to decontaminate and re-use PPE. The Centres for Disease Control (CDC) specifically recommends N95 filtering facepiece respirators (FFRs) for healthcare workers who are interacting with patients with COVID-19. There are anecdotal reports and published literature evaluating the potential of using disinfectants, such as hydrogen peroxide and bleach to decontaminate FFRs, with mixed reports of impact on structural integrity. To date this literature has not been comprehensively synthesized and the purpose of this review is to systematically review the existing literature on the use of disinfectants for the decontamination of facemask PPE.This information will be used to contribute to FFR decontamination protocols at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario and shared with other hospitals in Ontario, Canada, and internationally.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Zorko ◽  
Karen Choong ◽  
Dayre McNally ◽  
Katie O'Hearn ◽  
Margaret Sampson ◽  
...  

As the global spread of novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) escalates, the high demand for personal protective equipment (PPE) has created shortages of this equipment globally and prompted the need to ensure appropriate stewardship and develop strategies to conserve supply. Surgical masks have broad and commonplace applications as PPE, including in the care of suspected or confirmed COVID-19 patients, and for the care of the general patient population in areas where community spread of COVID-19 is of concern. Surgical mask rationing and conservation is therefore a priority to ensure adequate supply during a pandemic. Several methods have been considered to decontaminate and allow the reuse of single-use PPE, such as hydrogen peroxide vapour and ultraviolet germicidal irradiation, but to date this literature has not been comprehensively synthesized. The objective of this systematic review is to identify and synthesize data from published studies evaluating interventions used to decontaminate or treat surgical mask PPE for the purposes of reuse.


2021 ◽  
pp. 155335062199998
Author(s):  
Justin Opfermann ◽  
Anuradha Dayal ◽  
Alyssa Abo ◽  
Emily Thatcher ◽  
Tyler Salvador ◽  
...  

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected life for everyone, and hospitals, in particular have been hard hit. In this study, we describe our efforts to develop personal protective equipment at a children’s hospital early in the pandemic. We convened an innovation working group to organize our efforts and respond to the rapidly changing situation. We describe our work in four areas: (1) plexiglass shields for the emergency department, (2) face shields for clinical providers, (3) breath shields for ophthalmology, and (4) flip-up safety glasses for nurses. The hospital’s supply chain is now caught up with addressing many pandemic-related shortages. Nevertheless, through our multidisciplinary approach to reacting to the pandemic’s urgent needs, we demonstrated agility to bring stakeholders together to maximize the use of scarce resources and build resiliency. We believe this method can be rapidly replicated as future needs arise.


Author(s):  
Patrick J. McGrath ◽  
Garry Johnson ◽  
John T. Goodman ◽  
John Schillinger ◽  
Jennifer Dunn ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (Supplement 1 3S) ◽  
pp. 353-353
Author(s):  
D. Zorko ◽  
S. Gertsman ◽  
K. O’Hearn ◽  
N. Timmerman ◽  
N. Ambu-Ali ◽  
...  

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