Design and evaluation of a portable negative pressure hood with HEPA filtration to protect health care workers treating patients with transmissible respiratory infections.
Am J Infect Control
; 48(10): 1237-1243, 2020 10.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-623888
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
To mitigate potential exposure of healthcare workers (HCWs) to SARS-CoV-2 via aerosol routes, we have developed a portable hood which not only creates a barrier between HCW and patient, but also utilizes negative pressure with filtration of aerosols by a high-efficiency particulate air filter. MATERIAL ANDMETHODS:
The hood has iris-port openings for access to the patient, and an opening large enough for a patient's head and upper torso. The top of the hood is a high-efficiency particulate air filter connected to a blower to apply negative pressure. We determined the aerosol penetration from outside to inside in laboratory experiments.RESULTS:
The penetration of particles from within the hood to the breathing zones of HCWs outside the hood was near 10-4 (0.01%) in the 200-400 nm size range, and near 10-3 (0.1%) for smaller particles. Penetration values for particles in the 500 nm-5 µm range were below 10-2 (1%). Fluorometric analysis of deposited fluorescein particles on the personal protective equipment of an HCW revealed that negative pressure reduces particle deposition both outside and inside the hood.CONCLUSIONS:
We find that negative pressure hoods can be effective controls to mitigate aerosol exposure to HCWs, while simultaneously allowing access to patients.Keywords
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Pneumonia, Viral
/
Respiratory Tract Infections
/
Infectious Disease Transmission, Patient-to-Professional
/
Coronavirus Infections
/
Pandemics
/
Filtration
/
Personal Protective Equipment
Type of study:
Experimental Studies
Limits:
Adult
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
Language:
English
Journal:
Am J Infect Control
Year:
2020
Document Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
J.ajic.2020.06.203
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