Self-contamination Following Removal of Two Personal Protective Equipment Suits: a Crossover Trial

Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires60 enrolled

Overview

Anesthesiologists and other professionals are at high risk of viral infection during aerosol-generating procedures. Knowledge of the protective quality of PPE suits and the risk of self-contamination after removal is paramount. This trial used an ultraviolet-fluorescent solution to explore differences in self-contamination after removal of gown PPE (PPE-G) and coverall PPE (PPE-C). A two-period/two-intervention (AB/BA) design was chosen; each intervention consisted of audio-guided placement of PPE, full-body spraying of fluorescent solution, audio-guided removal of PPE, and assessment of self-contamination through ultraviolet light scanning. The primary outcome was the mean within-participant difference (traces of any size) between PPE suits. Statistical significance was tested using t test for paired data.

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

PREVENTION

Masking

SINGLE

Enrollment

Conditions

Personal Protective Equipment Self Contamination

Interventions

Placement of PPE-G under direct instructions (audio recording), fluorescent solution full-body spray, removal of PPE under direct instructions (audio recording) and assessment of self-contamination through ultraviolet light scanning. Active (wet wipe cleanse of any fluorescent traces visible under ultraviolet light scanning) and passive (15 minute interval) washout period to prevent a carry over effect on the second allocated intervention.

Coverall personal protective equipment (PPE-C) suitOTHER

Placement of PPE-C under direct instructions (audio recording), fluorescent solution full-body spray, removal of PPE under direct instructions (audio recording) and assessment of self-contamination through ultraviolet light scanning. Active (wet wipe cleanse of any fluorescent traces visible under ultraviolet light scanning) and passive (15 minute interval) washout period to prevent a carry over effect on the second allocated intervention.

Eligibility

Sex: ALLMin age: 18 YearsHealthy volunteers:

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion Criteria: * Anesthesiology Department member (Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina), participation in the PPE training workshop. Exclusion Criteria: * Refusal to participate in the study * Known allergy to any of the components of the fluorescent lotion

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Mean within-participant difference in self-contamination between PPE-G and PPE-C suits

Mean difference between paired observations (number of fluorescent traces, any size, any body zone, per PPE suit) from each participant.

Time frame: 20 minutes

Secondary Outcomes

Correlation between self-contamination and adherence to the PPE removal protocol

Graphical illustration of adherence in the "X" axis and number of traces in the "Y" axis and calculation of the Spearman's rank-order correlation coefficient.

Time frame: 5 minutes