The increasingly limited supply of personal protective equipment (PPE) was initially one of the biggest dangers of the epidemic. This has cost the lives of many healthcare workers and has revealed that, despite regular warnings of a possible outbreak in recent years, many governments are not prepared and have no understanding of how to respond to such a crisis.
N95 masks are one of these equipment; It is widely used in hospitals. These filter out 95 percent of very small particles and droplets, making them much more effective than standard face masks at protecting healthcare workers from pathogens. However, they are generally produced for single use; The prices are high and they are harder to find. This makes it mandatory for both healthcare professionals and other people to use standard face masks.
Now, researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and MIT have found a way to fill PPE deficiencies by safely and effectively reprocessing N95 masks, thinking ahead for the next epidemic as well as the current one. Researchers have determined that using evaporated hydrogen peroxide (VHP) to clean these masks is extremely successful and safe.
Using VHP is a standard decontamination approach. As reported in the American Journal of Infection Control, applying this process to N95 respirators allows them to be cleaned while maintaining their function and efficacy for up to 25 cycles of reuse.
Lead author Dr. Christina F. Yen said in a statement, “Findings from our study expand on previous findings that VHP is a relatively safe method for reprocessing N95 masks and can help address deficiencies in future outbreaks,” she continued. It’s important that we find ways to transform smaller hospitals and resource-limited healthcare settings that can benefit — perhaps more — as much as the rework of this type of PPE in disaster scenarios.”
This method not only has the ability to maintain high quality PPE standards, but also reduces waste. . .
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