scholarly journals Sampling for SARS-CoV-2 Aerosols in Hospital Patient Rooms

Viruses ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (12) ◽  
pp. 2347
Author(s):  
Morgan A. Lane ◽  
Maria Walawender ◽  
Andrew S. Webster ◽  
Erik A. Brownsword ◽  
Jessica M. Ingersoll ◽  
...  

Evidence varies as to how far aerosols spread from individuals infected with SARS-CoV-2 in hospital rooms. We investigated the presence of aerosols containing SARS-CoV-2 inside of dedicated COVID-19 patient rooms. Three National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health BC 251 two-stage cyclone samplers were set up in each patient room for a six-hour sampling period. Samplers were place on tripods, which each held two samplers at various heights above the floor. Extracted samples underwent reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction for selected gene regions of the SARS-CoV-2 virus nucleocapsid. Patient medical data were compared between participants in rooms where virus-containing aerosols were detected and those where they were not. Of 576 aerosols samples collected from 19 different rooms across 32 participants, 3% (19) were positive for SARS-CoV-2, the majority from near the head and foot of the bed. Seven of the positive samples were collected inside a single patient room. No significant differences in participant clinical characteristics were found between patients in rooms with positive and negative aerosol samples. SARS-CoV-2 viral aerosols were detected from the patient rooms of nine participants (28%). These findings provide reassurance that personal protective equipment that was recommended for this virus is appropriate given its spread in hospital rooms.

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
pp. 215013272098771
Author(s):  
S. M. Rashed Ul Islam ◽  
Tahmina Akther ◽  
Md. Abdullah Omar Nasif ◽  
Sharmin Sultana ◽  
Saif Ullah Munshi

SARS-CoV-2 initially emerged in Wuhan, China in late 2019. It has since been recognized as a pandemic and has led to great social and economic disruption globally. The Reverse Transcriptase Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction (rtRT-PCR) has become the primary method for COVID-19 testing worldwide. The method requires a specialized laboratory set up. Long-term persistence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in nasopharyngeal secretion after full clinical recovery of the patient is regularly observed nowadays. This forces the patients to spend a longer period in isolation and test repeatedly to obtain evidence of viral clearance. Repeated COVID-19 testing in asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic cases often leads to extra workload for laboratories that are already struggling with a high specimen turnover. Here, we present 5 purposively selected cases with different patterns of clinical presentations in which nasopharyngeal shedding of SARS-CoV-2 RNA was observed in patients for a long time. From these case studies, we emphasized the adoption of a symptom-based approach for discontinuing transmission-based precautions over a test-based strategy to reduce the time spent by asymptomatic and mildly symptomatic COVID-19 patients in isolation. A symptom-based approach will also help reduce laboratory burden for COVID-19 testing as well as conserve valuable resources and supplies utilized for rtRT-PCR testing in an emerging lower-middle-income setting. Most importantly, it will also make room for critically ill COVID-19 patients to visit or avail COVID-19 testing at their convenience.


KREATOR ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ahmad Faqih Solansa ◽  
Hendra Nanang ◽  
M Sudiyamto

Every production process in a company is inseparable from all the dangers of disease and occupational accidents for workers. So in a company it is necessary to implement occupational safety and health in order to reduce and prevent occupational diseases and accidents. In carrying out occupational safety and health at PT Pantja Simpati, PT Pantja Simpati has several problems that can cause illness and work accidents such as unavailability of personal protective equipment, non-functioning air vents, employees smoking in the production room, employees drinking in the production section. part. areas, fire fighting equipment lacks lighting, damaged ceilings or roofs, untidy cables, and slippery production floors. Ways to avoid work accidents such as providing PPE and APAR, repairing damaged equipment, and taking firm action against workers. From the problems found, the implementation of occupational safety and health at PT Pantja Simpati is still not good.Keywords— Occupational Safety and Health, 5W+1H


2020 ◽  
Vol 28 (8) ◽  
pp. 495-499
Author(s):  
Narasimman Sathiamurthy ◽  
Narendran Balasubbiah ◽  
Benedict Dharmaraj

Background The Covid-19 pandemic has caused changes in the surgical treatment of non-Covid patients, especially in thoracic surgery because most procedures are aerosol generating. Hospital Kuala Lumpur, where thoracic procedures are performed, was badly affected. We describe our experience in performing aerosol generating procedures safely in thoracic surgery during the Covid-19 era. Methods Medical records of patients who underwent thoracic surgery from March 18, 2020 to May 17, 2020 were reviewed retrospectively. All patients undergoing thoracic surgery were tested for Covid-19 using the reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction method. Patients with malignancy were observed for 10 to 14 days in the ward after testing negative. The healthcare workers donned personal protective equipment for all the cases, and the number of healthcare workers in the operating room was limited to the minimum required. Results A total of 44 procedures were performed in 26 thoracic surgeries. All of these procedures were classified as aerosol generating, and the mean duration of the surgery was 130 ± 43 minutes. None of the healthcare workers involved in the surgery were exposed or infected by Covid-19. Conclusion Covid-19 will be a threat for a long time and thoracic surgeons must continue to provide their services, despite having to deal with aerosol generating procedures, in the new normal. Covid-19 testing of all surgical candidates, using the reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction, donning full personal protective equipment for healthcare workers, and carefully planned procedures are among the measures suggested to prevent unnecessary Covid-19 exposure in thoracic surgery.


2020 ◽  
Vol 153 (6) ◽  
pp. 725-733 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa M Barton ◽  
Eric J Duval ◽  
Edana Stroberg ◽  
Subha Ghosh ◽  
Sanjay Mukhopadhyay

Abstract Objectives To report the methods and findings of two complete autopsies of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) positive individuals who died in Oklahoma (United States) in March 2020. Methods Complete postmortem examinations were performed according to standard procedures in a negative-pressure autopsy suite/isolation room using personal protective equipment, including N95 masks, eye protection, and gowns. The diagnosis of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was confirmed by real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction testing on postmortem swabs. Results A 77-year-old obese man with a history of hypertension, splenectomy, and 6 days of fever and chills died while being transported for medical care. He tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 on postmortem nasopharyngeal and lung parenchymal swabs. Autopsy revealed diffuse alveolar damage and chronic inflammation and edema in the bronchial mucosa. A 42-year-old obese man with a history of myotonic dystrophy developed abdominal pain followed by fever, shortness of breath, and cough. Postmortem nasopharyngeal swab was positive for SARS-CoV-2; lung parenchymal swabs were negative. Autopsy showed acute bronchopneumonia with evidence of aspiration. Neither autopsy revealed viral inclusions, mucus plugging in airways, eosinophils, or myocarditis. Conclusions SARS-CoV-2 testing can be performed at autopsy. Autopsy findings such as diffuse alveolar damage and airway inflammation reflect true virus-related pathology; other findings represent superimposed or unrelated processes.


2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 25
Author(s):  
Aulia Azhar ◽  
Dina Waldani

K3 program aimed to provide security for employees in carrying out their work and reduce company costs. If work accidents and illness arise due to work relations, occupational safety and health (K3) must be a top priority in all companies in order to achieve satisfaction. The purpose of this study was to find out the description of the level of workforce satisfaction with the K3 program in the AMP (Asphal Mixing Plant) section of PT. Kerinci Development in 2017. The design of this study was descriptive. The population is all labor in PT. Prima Pembangunan Kerinci AMP section with 30 samples. The method of sampling with total sampling technique, the study was conducted in March - August 2017 and the research instrument using a questionnaire. Based on the results of the study as many as 13 workers (43.3%) were not satisfied with work safety and as many as 17 workers (56.7%) were not satisfied with the work health of the K3 program in the AMP (Asphal Mixing Plant) PT. Prima Pembangunan Kerinci in 2017. It is hoped that the company leaders will conduct routine health checks every month and also leaders pay more attention to employee safety by providing training on awareness of using personal protective equipment and introducing personal protective equipment and ways of using it, so that employees can use at any time in the event of a work accident.


2019 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 221
Author(s):  
Syahrisal Syahrisal ◽  
Paulus Pongkessu ◽  
Mahadir Sirman ◽  
Heny Pasandang Nari

Implementation according to the rules of occupational safety and health is needed in all jobs that are useful to avoid things that are not desirable, such as work accidents. The workforce consists of educated and trained people. One of the educated people referred to is the D-IV and DP-III graduates of the Makassar Shipping Polytechnic, because one of the fillers in the world of work is the Polytechnic graduate. The learning process while in the laboratory must be a serious concern in order to get qualified prospective workers, especially understanding about the application of occupational safety and health (K3) especially the use of personal protective equipment so that there are no direct or indirect obstacles in the work, such as work accidents occur, damage to machinery, cessation of production processes, environmental damage and expenses related to work accidents. The purpose of this research is to find out the availability and analyze the application of personal protective equipment to occupational safety and health in the workshop. This research includes the type of survey research with quantitative methods. This design seeks to determine the PPE facilities available at the Workshop, symbols / cues about occupational safety and health, the conditions of the practice room and what percentage of PPE use by cadets during practice. The data collection method is done by using a questionnaire and documentation used to determine PPE facilities available in the Workshop, symbols / cues about occupational safety and health, the conditions of the practice room and what percentage of the use of PPE cadets during practice. The conclusion is that the personal protective equipment (PPE) facilities in the workshop have been provided by the workshop and can be used by cadets or pasis and safely in accordance with government regulations, and the knowledge, understanding and application of cadets towards PPE have reached an average of 95%


2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 163-167
Author(s):  
HERLINA SULAIMAN

Implementation of Occupational Safety and Health at PT. Multi Nabati Unit Maleo is done by Enviromental Unit, Health and Safety. EHS is a policy applied by PT Multi Nabati Unit Maleo in providing protection for the safety and health of its workers. EHS is a direct handle or the first handle if there is an accident and also work to make preventive efforts to prevent accidents. In addition, the company develops the health and work safety management system (SMK3 & L). The efforts undertaken by PT Multi Nabati To reduce the risk of occupational accidents by applying: Engineering (engineering), Administration (administration) and Labor must use APD (Personal protective equipment).


Blood ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 92 (2) ◽  
pp. 574-588 ◽  
Author(s):  
Niels Pallisgaard ◽  
Peter Hokland ◽  
Dorthe C. Riishøj ◽  
Bent Pedersen ◽  
Poul Jørgensen

Abstract We have developed a multiplex reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) reaction, which enables us to detect 29 translocations/chromosomal aberrations in patients with acute lymphoid leukemia (ALL) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Through the construction and optimization of specific primers for each translocation, we have been able to reduce the set-up to 8 parallel multiplex PCR reactions, thus greatly decreasing the amount of work and reagents. We show the value of our set-up in a retrospective analysis on cryopreserved material from 102 AML and 62 ALL patients. The multiplex RT-PCR detected a hybrid mRNA resulting from a structural chromosomal aberration in 45 of 102 (44%) of the AML and in 28 of 62 (45%) of the pediatric ALL cases. Importantly, in 33% of AML and in 47% of the ALL cases with cytogenetic data, submicroscopic chromosomal aberrations or masked translocations were shown that were not detected in the cytogenetic analysis either for structural reasons or because of an insufficient number of metaphases obtained. This multiplex RT-PCR system, which can handle up to 10 patients with a response time of 2 working days, is thus an important tool that complements cytogenetic analysis in the up-front screening of acute leukemia patients and should provide a rapid and efficient characterization of leukemia cells, even in situations with sparse patient material.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document