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3D Printed frames to enable reuse and improve the fit of N95 and KN95 respirators

BACKGROUND: In response to supply shortages caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, N95 filtering facepiece respirators (FFRs or “masks”), which are typically single-use devices in healthcare settings, are routinely being used for prolonged periods and in some cases decontaminated under “reuse” and “extend...

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Autores principales: McAvoy, Malia, Bui, Ai-Tram N., Hansen, Christopher, Plana, Deborah, Said, Jordan T., Yu, Zizi, Yang, Helen, Freake, Jacob, Van, Christopher, Krikorian, David, Cramer, Avilash, Smith, Leanne, Jiang, Liwei, Lee, Karen J., Li, Sara J., Beller, Brandon, Huggins, Kimberley, Short, Michael P., Yu, Sherry H., Mostaghimi, Arash, Sorger, Peter K., LeBoeuf, Nicole R.
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: BioMed Central 2021
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8182357/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/34099062
http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s42490-021-00055-7
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author McAvoy, Malia
Bui, Ai-Tram N.
Hansen, Christopher
Plana, Deborah
Said, Jordan T.
Yu, Zizi
Yang, Helen
Freake, Jacob
Van, Christopher
Krikorian, David
Cramer, Avilash
Smith, Leanne
Jiang, Liwei
Lee, Karen J.
Li, Sara J.
Beller, Brandon
Huggins, Kimberley
Short, Michael P.
Yu, Sherry H.
Mostaghimi, Arash
Sorger, Peter K.
LeBoeuf, Nicole R.
author_facet McAvoy, Malia
Bui, Ai-Tram N.
Hansen, Christopher
Plana, Deborah
Said, Jordan T.
Yu, Zizi
Yang, Helen
Freake, Jacob
Van, Christopher
Krikorian, David
Cramer, Avilash
Smith, Leanne
Jiang, Liwei
Lee, Karen J.
Li, Sara J.
Beller, Brandon
Huggins, Kimberley
Short, Michael P.
Yu, Sherry H.
Mostaghimi, Arash
Sorger, Peter K.
LeBoeuf, Nicole R.
author_sort McAvoy, Malia
collection PubMed
description BACKGROUND: In response to supply shortages caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, N95 filtering facepiece respirators (FFRs or “masks”), which are typically single-use devices in healthcare settings, are routinely being used for prolonged periods and in some cases decontaminated under “reuse” and “extended use” policies. However, the reusability of N95 masks is limited by degradation of fit. Possible substitutes, such as KN95 masks meeting Chinese standards, frequently fail fit testing even when new. The purpose of this study was to develop an inexpensive frame for damaged and poorly fitting masks using readily available materials and 3D printing. RESULTS: An iterative design process yielded a mask frame consisting of two 3D printed side pieces, malleable wire links that users press against their face, and cut lengths of elastic material that go around the head to hold the frame and mask in place. Volunteers (n = 45; average BMI = 25.4), underwent qualitative fit testing with and without mask frames wearing one or more of four different brands of FFRs conforming to US N95 or Chinese KN95 standards. Masks passed qualitative fit testing in the absence of a frame at rates varying from 48 to 94 % (depending on mask model). For individuals who underwent testing using respirators with broken or defective straps, 80–100 % (average 85 %) passed fit testing with mask frames. Among individuals who failed fit testing with a KN95, ~ 50 % passed testing by using a frame. CONCLUSIONS: Our study suggests that mask frames can prolong the lifespan of N95 and KN95 masks by serving as a substitute for broken or defective bands without adversely affecting fit. Use of frames made it possible for ~ 73 % of the test population to achieve a good fit based on qualitative and quantitative testing criteria, approaching the 85–90 % success rate observed for intact N95 masks. Frames therefore represent a simple and inexpensive way of expanding access to PPE and extending their useful life. For clinicians and institutions interested in mask frames, designs and specifications are provided without restriction for use or modification. To ensure adequate performance in clinical settings, fit testing with user-specific masks and PanFab frames is required. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s42490-021-00055-7.
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spelling pubmed-81823572021-06-07 3D Printed frames to enable reuse and improve the fit of N95 and KN95 respirators McAvoy, Malia Bui, Ai-Tram N. Hansen, Christopher Plana, Deborah Said, Jordan T. Yu, Zizi Yang, Helen Freake, Jacob Van, Christopher Krikorian, David Cramer, Avilash Smith, Leanne Jiang, Liwei Lee, Karen J. Li, Sara J. Beller, Brandon Huggins, Kimberley Short, Michael P. Yu, Sherry H. Mostaghimi, Arash Sorger, Peter K. LeBoeuf, Nicole R. BMC Biomed Eng Research Article BACKGROUND: In response to supply shortages caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, N95 filtering facepiece respirators (FFRs or “masks”), which are typically single-use devices in healthcare settings, are routinely being used for prolonged periods and in some cases decontaminated under “reuse” and “extended use” policies. However, the reusability of N95 masks is limited by degradation of fit. Possible substitutes, such as KN95 masks meeting Chinese standards, frequently fail fit testing even when new. The purpose of this study was to develop an inexpensive frame for damaged and poorly fitting masks using readily available materials and 3D printing. RESULTS: An iterative design process yielded a mask frame consisting of two 3D printed side pieces, malleable wire links that users press against their face, and cut lengths of elastic material that go around the head to hold the frame and mask in place. Volunteers (n = 45; average BMI = 25.4), underwent qualitative fit testing with and without mask frames wearing one or more of four different brands of FFRs conforming to US N95 or Chinese KN95 standards. Masks passed qualitative fit testing in the absence of a frame at rates varying from 48 to 94 % (depending on mask model). For individuals who underwent testing using respirators with broken or defective straps, 80–100 % (average 85 %) passed fit testing with mask frames. Among individuals who failed fit testing with a KN95, ~ 50 % passed testing by using a frame. CONCLUSIONS: Our study suggests that mask frames can prolong the lifespan of N95 and KN95 masks by serving as a substitute for broken or defective bands without adversely affecting fit. Use of frames made it possible for ~ 73 % of the test population to achieve a good fit based on qualitative and quantitative testing criteria, approaching the 85–90 % success rate observed for intact N95 masks. Frames therefore represent a simple and inexpensive way of expanding access to PPE and extending their useful life. For clinicians and institutions interested in mask frames, designs and specifications are provided without restriction for use or modification. To ensure adequate performance in clinical settings, fit testing with user-specific masks and PanFab frames is required. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s42490-021-00055-7. BioMed Central 2021-06-07 /pmc/articles/PMC8182357/ /pubmed/34099062 http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s42490-021-00055-7 Text en © The Author(s) 2021 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Open AccessThis article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article's Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article's Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) . The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/ (https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) ) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated in a credit line to the data.
spellingShingle Research Article
McAvoy, Malia
Bui, Ai-Tram N.
Hansen, Christopher
Plana, Deborah
Said, Jordan T.
Yu, Zizi
Yang, Helen
Freake, Jacob
Van, Christopher
Krikorian, David
Cramer, Avilash
Smith, Leanne
Jiang, Liwei
Lee, Karen J.
Li, Sara J.
Beller, Brandon
Huggins, Kimberley
Short, Michael P.
Yu, Sherry H.
Mostaghimi, Arash
Sorger, Peter K.
LeBoeuf, Nicole R.
3D Printed frames to enable reuse and improve the fit of N95 and KN95 respirators
title 3D Printed frames to enable reuse and improve the fit of N95 and KN95 respirators
title_full 3D Printed frames to enable reuse and improve the fit of N95 and KN95 respirators
title_fullStr 3D Printed frames to enable reuse and improve the fit of N95 and KN95 respirators
title_full_unstemmed 3D Printed frames to enable reuse and improve the fit of N95 and KN95 respirators
title_short 3D Printed frames to enable reuse and improve the fit of N95 and KN95 respirators
title_sort 3d printed frames to enable reuse and improve the fit of n95 and kn95 respirators
topic Research Article
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8182357/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/34099062
http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s42490-021-00055-7
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