Articles: personal-protective-equipment.
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Korean J Anesthesiol · Dec 2020
Case ReportsPerioperative considerations for COVID-19 patients: lessons learnt from the pandemic.
As the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic spreads globally, hospitals are rushing to adapt their facilities, which were not designed to deal with infections adequately. Here, we present the management of a suspected COVID-19 patient. ⋯ Our objective was to facilitate surgical management of patients with known or suspected COVID-19 while minimizing the risk of nosocomial transmission to healthcare workers and other patients.
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Lower respiratory infections are often caused or precipitated by viruses and are a leading cause of global morbidity and mortality. Mutations in these viral genomes can produce highly infectious strains that transmit across species and have the potential to initiate epidemic, or pandemic, human viral respiratory disease. Transmission between humans primarily occurs via the airborne route and is accelerated by our increasingly interconnected and globalised society. ⋯ Healthcare workers (HCWs) are at particular risk during respiratory epidemics or pandemics. This is due to crowded working environments where social distancing, or wearing respiratory personal protective equipment for prolonged periods, might prove difficult, or performing medical procedures that increase exposure to virus-laden aerosols, or bodily fluids. This review aims to summarise the evidence and approaches to occupational risk and protection of HCWs during epidemic or pandemic respiratory viral disease.
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Am J Infect Control · Jun 2021
Availability and Crisis Standards of Care for Personal Protective Equipment During Fall 2020 of the COVID-19 Pandemic: A National Study by the APIC COVID-19 Task Force.
The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in personal protective equipment (PPE) shortages in spring 2020, necessitating crisis protocols. ⋯ Although most health care facilities had adequate PPE in fall 2020, PPE supply chains were still disrupted, resulting in the need to reuse or decontaminate PPE. Ongoing gaps in PPE access need to be addressed in order to minimize health care associated infections and occupational illness.