SARS-CoV 2 in Personal Protective Equipment

Overview

SARS-CoV-2 transmission is frequently occurring in hospital settings, with numerous reported cases of nosocomial transmission highlighting the vulnerability of healthcare workers. If products proved to be efficacious against COVID-19, why are so many HCW getting COVID-19? Is it related to experience? Is it generated by the exhaustive job? Is there any degree of relationship to stress? These questions are still without fully correct answers. Achieving global benefits for HCW is still waiting.

Objective: To assess the extent of surface contamination PPE doctors (personal protective equipment) with SARS-CoV-2, immediately after evaluating ill patients. COVID-19 is a recently emerging disease, in which much scientific information is being generated, but in which there are few certainties. This is due to work of poor methodological quality, but also due to the fact that it is a recent infection, which has only been developing for a few months. Given that most cases of infection in health personnel in the workplace come from contamination with personal protective equipment, it is necessary to determine there is any degree of contamination of PPE by the virus, as the critical areas where it can be located in the PPE as well. That is why this investigation, when trying to determine the location and degree of contamination of PPE by COVID-19, will allow the implementation of exhaustive care that leads to greater care for health personnel. Target population: patients with a diagnosis of COVID-19 in patients admitted to a service in the General Ward and Intensive Care Unit or Coronary Unit of a University Hospital of C.A.B.A- (Argentina) Accessible population of adults patients with a diagnosis of COVID-19 admitted to the CN / Intensive Care Unit / Coronary Unit, while the research is in progress. Population Definition Criteria: PPE of medical personnel in contact with hospitalized patients with SARS-CoV-2 positive swab, hospitalized in CM / UTI / UC wards. Inclusion Criteria: Samples of personal protective equipment of health personnel who have been in contact with patients with positive viral RNA results in RT-real time PCR (rtPCR +) test for SARS-CoV-2 will be used. Exclusion criteria: PPE of health personnel who have been in contact with patients without confirmation of COVID-19 diagnosis. Elimination Criteria: those patients who change the result of the positive viral load to negative viral load. Time-space coordinates: The research will be carried out from May 15, 2020 and will be carried out in the CM / UTI / UC rooms of the Hospital de Clínicas José de San Martín, in those patients with confirmed pathology of COVID-19 until reaching the necessary number of 16 patients. 2.2. Ethical objections to the project. This project is carried out under the ethical standards that govern human research in accordance with the National Law on Protection of Personal Data No. 25,326 (Habeas Data Law) and the Declaration of Helsinki in its latest version (Fortaleza 2013). The Bioethics and Teaching and Research Committee of the José de San Martín Clinic Hospital have given their approval to carry out the study.