Field-Testing Method for Loose-Fitting Powered Air-Purifying Respirators Equipped with HEPA Filters

Alderman, T. Scott; Stiegel, Matthew A.; Estes, Robert A.; Thomann, Wayne R.; Sempowski, Gregory D.

doi:10.1177/1535676016651249

Cited by 7 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 4 publications

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“…Independent consultants from Precision Air (Morrisville, NC) that certify clean rooms, HEPA filters, and PPE at Duke University were engaged to perform particle flow testing. Testing was performed according to a modified protocol previously established at our institution for PAPRs and showed that the system met HEPA standards [8]. There are no patient-related risks identified.…”

Section: Safety Testing Of Materials and Componentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Helmet Modification to PPE With 3D Printing During the COVID-19 Pandemic at Duke University Medical Center: A Novel Technique

Erickson

Richardson

Hernandez

et al. 2020

The Journal of Arthroplasty

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Care for patients during COVID-19 poses challenges that require the protection of staff with recommendations that health care workers wear at minimum, an N95 mask or equivalent while performing an aerosol-generating procedure with a face shield. The United States faces shortages of personal protective equipment (PPE), and surgeons who use loupes and headlights have difficulty using these in conjunction with face shields. Most arthroplasty surgeons use surgical helmet systems, but in the current pandemic, many hospitals have delayed elective arthroplasty surgeries and the helmet systems are going unused. As a result, the authors have begun retrofitting these arthroplasty helmets to serve as PPE. The purpose of this article is to outline the conception, design, donning technique, and safety testing of these arthroplasty helmets being repurposed as PPE.

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Section: Safety Testing Of Materials and Componentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Helmet Modification to PPE With 3D Printing During the COVID-19 Pandemic at Duke University Medical Center: A Novel Technique

Erickson

Richardson

Hernandez

et al. 2020

The Journal of Arthroplasty

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“…Considering the NIOSH procedures for field testing respirators [30] and field-testing method for loose-fitting PAPRs equipped with HEPA filters [31] as reference, we performed the validation procedures to verify the compliance of PROPER with the required performance characteristics of air flow, cleanliness level, gas concentrations and overpressure. The validation tests we have run do not constitute certification, but it is a demonstration of the operability of the PROPER equipment.…”

Section: Validation and Characterizationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We measured the particle count with a target cleanliness class of ISO 6 with the maximum concentration limit (particles/m 3 of air) of 102000 particles equal to and larger than the considered 0.3 µm size [31] . The minimum single sample volume V s per location in liters is expressed in equation (3) .…”

Section: Validation and Characterizationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pressure Optimized PowEred Respirator (PROPER): A miniaturized wearable cleanroom and biosafety system for aerially transmitted viral infections such as COVID-19

Nazarious¹,

Mathanlal²,

Zorzano³

et al. 2020

HardwareX

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The supply of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) in hospitals to keep the Health Care Professionals (HCP) safe taking care of patients may be limited, especially during the outbreak of a new disease. In particular, the face and body protective equipment is critical to prevent the wearer from exposure to pathogenic biological airborne particulates. This situation has been now observed worldwide during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. As concern over shortages of PPE at hospitals grows, we share with the public and makers’ community the Pressure Optimized PowEred Respirator (PROPER) equipment, made out of COTS components. It is functionally equivalent to a Powered Air Purifying Respirator (PAPR). PROPER, a hood-based system which uses open source and easily accessible components is low-cost, relatively passive in terms of energy consumption and mechanisms, and easy and fast to 3D print, build and assemble. We have adapted our experience on building clean room environments and qualifying the bioburden of space instruments to this solution, which is in essence a miniaturized, personal, wearable cleanroom. PROPER would be able to offer better protection than an N95 respirator mask, mainly because it is insensitive to seal fit and it shields the eyes as well. The PROPER SMS fabric is designed for single-use and not intended for reuse, as they may start to tear and fail but the rest of the parts can be disinfected and reused. We provide a set of guidelines to build a low-cost 3D printed solution for an effective PAPR system and describe the procedures to validate it to comply with the biosafety level 3 requirements. We have validated the prototype of PROPER unit for air flow, ISO class cleanliness level, oxygen and carbon-dioxide gas concentrations during exhalation, and present here these results for illustration. We demonstrate that the area inside the hood is more than 200 times cleaner than the external ambient without the operator and more than 175 times with the operator and in an aerosol exposed environment. We also include the procedure to clean and disinfect the equipment for reuse. PROPER may be a useful addition to provide protection to HCPs against the SARS-CoV-2 virus or other potential future viral diseases that are transmitted aerially.

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“…PAPRs contain filters that are usually housed as cartridges and can be interchanged according to the size and type of infection source. A typical filter used in PAPR is the high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter [24], which can filter at least 99.97% of particles 0.3 μm in diameter, meaning that a HEPA filter-equipped PAPR should provide greater protection than most N95/FFP2 respirators. PAPRs may be more inclusive, as they do not necessitate fit testing, and have other advantages, such as benefitting people with hearing impairment who lip read, and improving communication, as patients can see doctors' and nurses' faces [25] [26].…”

Section: Types Of Ppe: N95/ffp2 Face Coverings and Paprs Advantages And Disadvantagesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Flat-pack, rapid production powered air purifying respirators for Low-Resource Settings amid the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic

Grazia¹,

Diment²,

Regas³

et al. 2020

Preprint

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Healthcare workers are at high risk of catching SARS-CoV-2 because of their regular interaction with patients with the disease. In low-resource settings, the ratio of healthcare workers to the whole population is lower than in high income countries, and there is often limited access to personal protective equipment (PPE). Illness or death of healthcare workers will, therefore, have a disproportionate impact in these settings, so it is particularly important to find ways to protect them.To protect against airborne infection in healthcare settings, PPE recommendations typically include filtering facemask respirators or powered air purifying respirators (PAPR). The former, passively filter inhaled air. They are small, noiseless and do not require a power supply, but they are single-use, presenting manufacturing and supply issues. Fit testing is crucial, and many users find them difficult to tolerate, due to breathing resistance and elevated humidity. There is also the potential for contamination due to the exposed face. PAPRs are re-usable devices that may last for months and provide airflow through a filter from a battery-powered blower unit to a hood or helmet which covers the face. This creates a positive pressure in the hood or helmet that enables the wearer to breathe filtered air easily, without requiring an air-tight fit needed for standard face masks. This is reported to be more comfortable and provides better protection for the face from droplets and splashes, and infection by self-contact with the hands. PAPRs have typically been expensive, bulky and not readily available or easy to ship to low-resource settings.Although the design presented here has not been through any form of regulatory approval, the aim of this paper is to share ideas and offer possible solutions to other groups around the World who may be thinking of manufacturing a low-cost, reusable PAPR. The design is novel because it uses readily available materials, scalable manufacturing processes, and it may be shipped flat-packed and easily assembled. This offers an option for manufacturing in low-resource settings and for shipping in bulk. This paper provides the CAD designs that can be fabricated using a laser cutter.

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Field-Testing Method for Loose-Fitting Powered Air-Purifying Respirators Equipped with HEPA Filters

Cited by 7 publications

References 4 publications

Helmet Modification to PPE With 3D Printing During the COVID-19 Pandemic at Duke University Medical Center: A Novel Technique

Helmet Modification to PPE With 3D Printing During the COVID-19 Pandemic at Duke University Medical Center: A Novel Technique

Pressure Optimized PowEred Respirator (PROPER): A miniaturized wearable cleanroom and biosafety system for aerially transmitted viral infections such as COVID-19

Flat-pack, rapid production powered air purifying respirators for Low-Resource Settings amid the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic

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