A Letter to Reconsider the Conditions for Testing Decontaminated N95 Respirators for Emergency Reuse to Address Shortage
A Letter to Reconsider the Conditions for Testing Decontaminated N95 Respirators for Emergency Reuse to Address Shortage
复制标题
关于重新考虑测试经净化的 N95 呼吸器以供紧急再利用以解决短缺问题的信函
DOI：
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发表时间：
2020
期刊：
影响因子：
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通讯作者：
Jeonghyeon Ahn
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
Eric P. Vejerano;Jeonghyeon Ahn
摘要
与 COVID-19 大流行的斗争导致个人防护装备短缺，特别是 N95 呼吸器。重复使用 N95 呼吸器的医护人员可能会采用未经证实的清洁/灭菌方法，这可能会严重损害呼吸器的过滤效率。最近发布的指南将在 85 L min–1 的流量下测试净化后的 N95 呼吸器对中值直径为 0.075 ± 0.020 µm 的颗粒的影响。对于紧急再利用，这些条件可能过于严格。在此流量下测试的 N95 呼吸器预计效率为 0.5 µm）。通过重新考虑测试条件，很大一部分用过/净化过的呼吸器可以重复使用。
ABSTRACT
The battle with COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in the shortage of personal protective equipment, particularly, N95 respirators. Healthcare workers who reused N95 respirators may resort to unproven methods of cleaning/sterilization that can severely compromise the respirators’ filtration efficiency. A recently issued guideline will test decontaminated N95 respirators against particles with a median diameter of 0.075 ± 0.020 µm at a flow rate of 85 L min–1. For emergency reuse, these conditions may be too stringent. N95 respirators tested at this flow rate had predicted efficiencies of 0.5 µm). By reconsidering the test conditions, a substantial fraction of used/decontaminated respirators can be reused.