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Gas Plasma Technology-An Asset to Healthcare During Viral Pandemics Such as the COVID-19 Crisis?

ABSTRACT: The COVID-19 crisis profoundly disguised the vulnerability of human societies and healthcare systems in the situation of a pandemic. In many instances, it became evident that the quick and safe reduction of viral load and spread is the foremost principle in the successful management of such a pandemic. However, it became also clear that many of the established routines in healthcare are not always sufficient to cope with the increased demand for decontamination procedures of items, healthcare products, and even infected tissues. For the last 25 years, the use of gas plasma technology has sparked a tremendous amount of literature on its decontaminating properties, especially for heat-labile targets, such as polymers and tissues, where chemical decontamination often is not appropriate. However, while the majority of earlier work focused on bacteria, only relatively few reports are available on the inactivation of viruses. We here aim to provide a perspective for the general audience of the chances and opportunities of gas plasma technology for supporting healthcare during viral pandemics such as the COVID-19 crisis. This includes possible real-world plasma applications, appropriate laboratory viral test systems, and critical points on the technical and safety requirements of gas plasmas for virus inactivation.

SUBMITTER: Bekeschus S

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8043491 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Gas Plasma Technology-An Asset to Healthcare During Viral Pandemics Such as the COVID-19 Crisis?

Bekeschus Sander S Kramer Axel A Suffredini Elisabetta E von Woedtke Thomas T Colombo Vittorio V

IEEE transactions on radiation and plasma medical sciences 20200616 4

The COVID-19 crisis profoundly disguised the vulnerability of human societies and healthcare systems in the situation of a pandemic. In many instances, it became evident that the quick and safe reduction of viral load and spread is the foremost principle in the successful management of such a pandemic. However, it became also clear that many of the established routines in healthcare are not always sufficient to cope with the increased demand for decontamination procedures of items, healthcare pr ...[more]

PMID: 34192214

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Project description:BackgroundResponding to the COVID-19 pandemic has presented an unprecedented challenge to health systems, with countries needing to balance the demands of responding directly to the pandemic, while simultaneously continuing provision of essential health services. This study aimed to explore the impact of COVID-19 on essential healthcare services in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.MethodsA facility-based retrospective study was undertaken in 30 health centers in Addis Ababa which were selected using simple random sampling. Secondary data were extracted for 22 indicators on maternal and child health, communicable and non-communicable diseases, and outpatient services for the period spanning between July 2019 and October 2020. These indicators were selected based on the WHO operational guidance on maintaining essential health services during an outbreak guide, essential packages of health services in Ethiopia and expert consultation. The difference in the trends of services before and during COVID-19 was compared using linear-by-linear tests and the difference of magnitude across the indicators was compared using Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA) interrupted time series analysis at a 5% significance level.ResultsOverall, more than 1.7 million people visited the studied facilities for outpatient services, and 18,325 mothers attended skilled delivery in the study period. The present study found that the mean number of patients treated for TB declined by 35 patients (β: -34.62; 95%CI: -50.29, -18.95) compared to the pre-COVID-19 era while the number of new patients enrolled for ART decreased by 71 patients (β: -70.62; 95%CI: -107.19, -34.05). Regarding maternal health services, the number of women who received post-natal care decreased by about 215 mothers (β: -214.87; 95%CI: -331.57, -98.17). Similarly, the mean number of clients served at inpatient services declined by 34 (β: -33.72; 95%CI: -68.55, 1.05). On the other hand, the mean number of patients screened for diabetes and hypertension during the pandemic increased by more than 1014 (β: 1014.5; 95%CI: 103.07, 1925.92) and 610 patients (β: 611.21; 95%CI: 302.42, 919.99), respectively. However, changes with regard to antenatal care, skilled birth delivery, and children immunization services did not show a statistically significant change after COVID-19 was reported in Ethiopia.ConclusionDespite the notable efforts to sustain essential health services amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, our study revealed that there were disruptions in these services. This reinforces the need to adapt strategies to ensure sustainable provision of essential health services when pandemics of COVID19 magnitude cause disruptions of the health services.

Dataset Information

Gas Plasma Technology-An Asset to Healthcare During Viral Pandemics Such as the COVID-19 Crisis?

Publications

Gas Plasma Technology-An Asset to Healthcare During Viral Pandemics Such as the COVID-19 Crisis?

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