VIDEO: N95 masks protect most against aerosol transmission in the endoscopy suite
The endoscopy suite exposes physicians to many breath droplets and amid the COVID-19 pandemic, one study at Digestive Diseases Week showed N95 and KN95 masks provide the most protection from inhaling these droplets.
“It does look like respiratory masks protect us in a hospital environment, certainly in an endoscopy unit, which is what I was interested in,” David Carr-Locke, MD, of New York-Presbyterian Hospital, told Healio. “It will allow passage of very small particles that can be detected by taste and smell. That doesn’t mean the mask is not working and surgical masks are almost as effective as respirator masks but really the best protection is the respirator mask, which is fitted to the face and is more than 95% effective.”
Using an Electrical Low Pressure Impactor (ELPI, Dekati), Carr-Locke and colleagues measured bidirectional aerosol concentration generated from breathing and a nebulizer.
Carr-Locke reported that breathing produced concentrations of particles ranging from 7 per cubic centimeter with diameters from 7 m to 10 m to 130,000 per cubic centimeter with diameters of .01 m to .02 m.
Cloth masks blocked transmission of exhaled particles of 0.76 m and larger while surgical and N95 masks blocked transmission of all particle sizes with just a few exceptions.
Looking at nebulized saccharin, the researchers saw particles ranging from 2,000 per cubic centimeter with diameters from 7 m to 10 m to 14,500,000 per cubic centimeter with diameters of .01 m to .02 m.
Effective blocking of all size aerosols was seen for all mask types from the wearer side, but coming in from the outer side, only respirator masks – N95 and KN95 – provided effective protection. Surgical masks blocked transmission at 0.4 m or bigger and non-medical masks were variable. Carr-Locke reported that filters integrated into non-medical masks did improve blockage.
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Carr-Locke D. Abstract Su008. Presented at: Digestive Disease Week; May 21-24, 2021 (virtual meeting).
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