Air filtration mitigates aerosol levels both during and after endoscopy procedures

Objectives Upper gastrointestinal endoscopies are aerosol‐generating procedures, increasing the risk of spreading airborne pathogens. We aim to quantify the mitigation of airborne particles via improved ventilation, specifically laminar flow theatres and portable high‐efficiency particulate air (HEP...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:DEN open 2023-04, Vol.3 (1), p.e231-n/a
Main Authors: Phillips, Frank, Crowley, Jane, Warburton, Samantha, Staniforth, Karren, Parra‐Blanco, Adolfo, Gordon, George S.D.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aerosols
air conditioning
Anesthesia
Confidence intervals
COVID‐19
Disease transmission
Endoscopy
Extubation
infection control
Normal distribution
Original
Patients
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2
Statistical analysis
Ventilators
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Summary:Objectives Upper gastrointestinal endoscopies are aerosol‐generating procedures, increasing the risk of spreading airborne pathogens. We aim to quantify the mitigation of airborne particles via improved ventilation, specifically laminar flow theatres and portable high‐efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters, during and after upper gastrointestinal endoscopies. Methods This observational study included patients undergoing routine upper gastrointestinal endoscopy in a standard endoscopy room with 15–17 air changes per hour, a standard endoscopy room with a portable HEPA filtration unit, and a laminar flow theatre with 300 air changes per hour. A particle counter (diameter range 0.3 μm‐25 μm) took measurements 10 cm from the mouth. Three analyses were performed: whole procedure particle counts, event‐based counts, and air clearance estimation using post‐procedure counts. Results Compared to a standard endoscopy room, for whole procedures we observe a 28.5x reduction in particle counts in laminar flow (p < 0.001) but no significant effect of HEPA filtration (p = 0.50). For event analysis, we observe for lateral flow theatres reduction in particles >5 μm for oral extubation (12.2x, p < 0.01), reduction in particles
ISSN:2692-4609
2692-4609
DOI:10.1002/deo2.231