scholarly journals Reuse of Filtering Facepiece Respirators in the COVID-19 Era

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 797
Author(s):  
Joren Van Loon ◽  
Lore Veelaert ◽  
Sander Van Goethem ◽  
Regan Watts ◽  
Stijn Verwulgen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Control ◽  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Control Method ◽  
Protective Equipment ◽  
Quality Control Method ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Fit Testing ◽  
Product Reuse ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Different Parts

The current COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in an immense and unforeseen increase in demand for personal protective equipment (PPE) for healthcare workers worldwide. Amongst other products, respirator masks are crucial to protect the users against transmission of the virus. Decontamination and reuse of the existing stock could be a solution to the shortage of new respirators. Based upon existing studies, it was found that (I) a solid quality control method is essential to test product reuse, (II) in-depth evaluation of the different parts of the filtering facepiece respirator (FFR) should be considered, and (III) communication of the reuse cycle is essential to take track of the amount of reuse, as this is limited to ensure quality. The goal of this paper is two-fold. First, we identify the impact of decontamination on the different parts of the FFRs and how the quality control should be performed. Two different types of FFRs are analysed within this paper, resulting in the recommendation of combining quantitative respirator mask fit testing with a thorough sensory evaluation of decontaminated FFRs to qualify them for reuse. Secondly, the possibilities of communication of this reuse to the eventual user are mapped through in-depth reasoning.

scholarly journals Fit Testing Retrofitted Full-Face Snorkel Masks as a Form of Novel Personal Protective Equipment During the COVID-19 Pandemic

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-16
Author(s):  
Stephanie Toigo ◽  
Michel Jacques ◽  
Tarek Razek ◽  
Ewa Rajda ◽  
Sidney Omelon ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Personal Protective Equipment ◽  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Health Centre ◽  
Disease Outbreaks ◽  
Protective Equipment ◽  
Test Results ◽  
Passing Rate ◽  
Fit Testing ◽  
Full Face ◽  
Medical Grade

ABSTRACT Objective: Bottlenecks in the personal protective equipment (PPE) supply chain have contributed to shortages of PPE during the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in fractures in the functionality of healthcare systems. This study was conducted with the aim of determining the effectiveness of retrofitted commercial snorkel masks as an alternative respirator for healthcare workers during infectious disease outbreaks. Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed, analyzing qualitative and quantitative fit test results of the retrofitted Aria Ocean Reef® full-face snorkeling mask on healthcare workers at the McGill University Health Centre between April-June 2020. Historical fit test results, using medical-grade respirators, for healthcare workers were also analyzed. Results: During the study period, 71 participants volunteered for fit testing, 60.6% of which were nurses. The overall fit test passing rate using the snorkel mask was 83.1%. Of the participants who did not previously pass fit testing with medical-grade respirators, 80% achieved a passing fit test with the snorkel respirator. Conclusions: The results suggest that this novel respirator may be an effective and feasible alternative solution to address PPE shortages, while still providing healthcare workers with ample protection. Additional robust testing will be required to ensure that respirator fit is maintained, after numerous rounds of disinfection.

scholarly journals A Reliable, Label Free Quality Control Method for the Production of DNA Microarrays with Clinical Applications

Polymers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 340
Author(s):  
Elisa Chiodi ◽  
Francesco Damin ◽  
Laura Sola ◽  
Lucia Ferraro ◽  
Dario Brambilla ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Control ◽  
Dna Microarrays ◽  
Control Method ◽  
False Negative ◽  
Label Free ◽  
Negative Results ◽  
System A ◽  
Quality Control Method ◽  
False Negative Results ◽  
Imaging Sensor

The manufacture of a very high-quality microarray support is essential for the adoption of this assay format in clinical routine. In fact, poorly surface-bound probes can affect the diagnostic sensitivity or, in worst cases, lead to false negative results. Here we report on a reliable and easy quality control method for the evaluation of spotted probe properties in a microarray test, based on the Interferometric Reflectance Imaging Sensor (IRIS) system, a high-resolution label free technique able to evaluate the variation of the mass bound to a surface. In particular, we demonstrated that the IRIS analysis of microarray chips immediately after probe immobilization can detect the absence of probes, which recognizably causes a lack of signal when performing a test, with clinical relevance, using fluorescence detection. Moreover, the use of the IRIS technique allowed also to determine the optimal concentration of the probe, that has to be immobilized on the surface, to maximize the target recognition, thus the signal, but to avoid crowding effects. Finally, through this preliminary quality inspection it is possible to highlight differences in the immobilization chemistries. In particular, we have compared NHS ester versus click chemistry reactions using two different surface coatings, demonstrating that, in the diagnostic case used as an example (colorectal cancer) a higher probe density does not reflect a higher binding signal, probably because of a crowding effect.

scholarly journals A Two-Stage Quality Control Method for 2-m Temperature Observations Using Biweight Means and a Progressive EOF Analysis

2013 ◽  
Vol 141 (2) ◽  
pp. 798-808 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhifang Xu ◽  
Yi Wang ◽  
Guangzhou Fan
Keyword(s):  
Quality Control ◽  
Control Method ◽  
Control Process ◽  
Lapse Rate ◽  
Systematic Bias ◽  
Eof Analysis ◽  
Two Stage ◽  
Quality Control Method ◽  
Quality Control Process ◽  
The Difference

Abstract The relatively smooth terrain embedded in the numerical model creates an elevation difference against the actual terrain, which in turn makes the quality control of 2-m temperature difficult when forecast or analysis fields are utilized in the process. In this paper, a two-stage quality control method is proposed to address the quality control of 2-m temperature, using biweight means and a progressive EOF analysis. The study is made to improve the quality control of the observed 2-m temperature collected by China and its neighboring areas, based on the 6-h T639 analysis from December 2009 to February 2010. Results show that the proposed two-stage quality control method can secure the needed quality control better, compared with a regular EOF quality control process. The new method is, in particular, able to remove the data that are dotted with consecutive errors but showing small fluctuations. Meanwhile, compared with the lapse rate of temperature method, the biweight mean method is able to remove the systematic bias generated by the model. It turns out that such methods make the distributions of observation increments (the difference between observation and background) more Gaussian-like, which ensures the data quality after the quality control.

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