Efficacy and safety of decontamination for N95 respirator reuse: a systematic literature search and narrative synthesis.

ABSTRACT:

Purpose

Under times of supply chain stress, the availability of some medical equipment and supplies may become limited. The current pandemic involving severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 has highlighted limitations to the ordinary provision of personal protective equipment (PPE). For perioperative healthcare workers, N95 masks provide a stark example of PPE in short supply necessitating the creation of scientifically valid protocols for their decontamination and reuse.

Methods

We performed a systematic literature search of MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane CENTRAL databases, and ClinicalTrials.gov to identify peer-reviewed articles related to N95 mask decontamination and subsequent testing for the integrity of mask filtration and facial seal. To expand this search, we ad

SUBMITTER: Steinberg BE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7384726 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature