Aerosolisation During Respiratory Procedures

Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust10 enrolled

Overview

Currently, a major issue within respiratory medicine is undertaking procedures that generate aerosolisation with the concern of spreading infection, such as the SARS-COV-2/COVID-19 virus. It is anecdotally reported that lung function testing and positive airways pressure devices used in clinical practice are aerosol generating procedures however the data to support this is limited. With the advent of high-speed imaging systems that can capture and quantify particle size and velocity we aim to investigate the aerosol generation in routine non-invasive positive pressure respiratory procedures.

Study Type

OBSERVATIONAL

Enrollment

Conditions

Healthy Respiratory Tract Infections Lung Infection Droplet Spread

Interventions

Eligibility

Sex: ALLMin age: 18 YearsMax age: 80 Years

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion Criteria: * Age 18-80 years * Healthy subjects with no active medical conditions or previous pneumothorax * Cognitively and linguistically able to follow instructions given in English and provide informed consent Exclusion Criteria: * Significant respiratory, cardiac or neurological conditions or previous pneumothorax * Smoking history greater than 10 pack years * Acute illness at the time of assessment * Allergies to latex, metals or local anaesthetic agents

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Characterisation of aerosolised respiratory droplets

Performed using high-speed imaging and particle size counters

Time frame: 1 year