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Fit Testing Retrofitted Full-Face Snorkel Masks as a Form of Novel Personal Protective Equipment During the COVID-19 Pandemic
OBJECTIVE: Bottlenecks in the personal protective equipment (PPE) supply chain have contributed to shortages of PPE during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, resulting in fractures in the functionality of health-care systems. This study was conducted with the aim of determining the ef...
Autores principales: | , , , , , , , , |
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Formato: | Online Artículo Texto |
Lenguaje: | English |
Publicado: |
Cambridge University Press
2021
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Materias: | |
Acceso en línea: | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8209433/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/33926606 http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/dmp.2021.133 |
Sumario: | OBJECTIVE: Bottlenecks in the personal protective equipment (PPE) supply chain have contributed to shortages of PPE during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, resulting in fractures in the functionality of health-care systems. This study was conducted with the aim of determining the effectiveness of retrofitted commercial snorkel masks as an alternative respirator for health-care 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 health-care workers at the McGill University Health Centre between April and June 2020. Historical fit test results, using medical-grade respirators, for health-care 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 health-care workers with ample protection. Additional robust testing will be required to ensure that respirator fit is maintained, after numerous rounds of disinfection. |
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