7 Failure Rates during Reuse of Disposable N95 Masks in Clinical Practice in the Emergency Department

Check, R.; Kelly, Brendan P.; Rivard, L.; Pester, J.; McMahon, Kathleèn; Balakrishnan, Vijay Shankar; Jeanmonod, Donald; Jeanmonod, Rebecca

doi:10.1016/j.annemergmed.2020.09.017

Cited by 2 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 0 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Prior studies of N95 substandard use were either performed in a non-clinical setting 13 or were cross-sectional. 5 8 9 Additionally, studies done on heat decontamination methods of N95 masks were performed using new or unused masks in laboratory settings. 7 10 15–19 Our study is the only one so far that cohorts the study subjects in a clinical setting, with a combination of dry heat decontamination.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Impact on the Fitness of N95 Masks with Extended Use/Limited Reuse and Dry Heat Decontamination

Zha¹,

Alsarraj²,

Bunch

et al. 2022

Journal of Investigative Medicine

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Substandard use of N95 masks, sometimes combined with dry heat decontamination, lacks safety data. We evaluated the impact of these practices on the fitness of N95 masks. This is a non-human subject research conducted from July to October 2020. 155 masks were used by 12 healthcare workers during 10-hour shifts. Masks were collected at the end of the shift and if the number of donnings/doffings was less than five (‘modified extended use’, ME) or whenever this number reached five (‘limited reuse’, LR), per the recommendation of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Masks that passed an Occupational Safety and Health Administration qualitative fit test underwent a cycle (30 min, 75°C) of dry heat decontamination. After use, 84% (95% CI 77% to 90%) of the masks fit the users, 85% (95% CI 73% to 93%) in ME and 83% (95% CI 73% to 90%) in LR. After dry heat, 86% of the fitted masks (95% CI 78% to 91%) still fit, 93% (95% CI 80% to 98%) in ME and 82% (95% CI 70% to 89%) in LR. If a fit test was not done before decontamination, 72% (95% CI 64% to 79%) of the masks would fit, 79% (95% CI 66% to 88%) in ME and 68% (95% CI 57% to 77%) in LR. Common substandard use preserves fitness of N95 masks up to 85%. One cycle of dry heat decontamination preserves fitness of N95 masks up to 93% when donned/doffed less than five times and fitness is ensured before decontamination. If a fit test is not performed beforehand, dry heat decontamination cannot preserve the fitness of used N95 masks above 80%.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Limited literature exists that quantifies the combined impact of both, especially in a practical setting. [5][6][7][8][9][10]…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact on the Fitness of N95 Masks with Extended Use/Limited Reuse and Dry Heat Decontamination

Zha¹,

Alsarraj²,

Bunch

et al. 2022

Journal of Investigative Medicine

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Evidence since that time has shown that N95 mask reuse for greater than 2 days is associated with a 41% chance of failure compared with 9% risk when used for 2 days or less (OR 7.1; 95% CI 2.5 to 20; p<0.0001). 15 Additionally, newer studies have identified multiple effective methods of heat-based and chemical-based N95 mask decontamination and preservation. 16 In particular, moist heat treatment emerged as among the most effective approaches to inactivating SARS-CoV-2 while maintaining the structural integrity of the mask.…”

Section: Covid-19 Prevention Recommendationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Practical recommendations for the prevention and management of COVID-19 in low-income and middle-income settings: adapting clinical experience from the field

et al. 2021

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

7 Failure Rates during Reuse of Disposable N95 Masks in Clinical Practice in the Emergency Department

Cited by 2 publications

References 0 publications

Impact on the Fitness of N95 Masks with Extended Use/Limited Reuse and Dry Heat Decontamination

Impact on the Fitness of N95 Masks with Extended Use/Limited Reuse and Dry Heat Decontamination

Practical recommendations for the prevention and management of COVID-19 in low-income and middle-income settings: adapting clinical experience from the field

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About