Source avec lien : PLOS ONE, 17(8). 10.1371/journal.pone.0272834
La pandémie de COVID-19 a infecté des centaines de millions de personnes et provoqué des millions de décès dans le monde. Si les respirateurs N95 restent la référence en matière d’équipement de protection individuelle, leur production et leur obtention nécessitent de nombreuses ressources. Les masques chirurgicaux, plus faciles à produire et à obtenir, filtrent ≥95% des particules submicroniques mais sont moins protecteurs en raison d’un manque d’étanchéité autour du visage de l’utilisateur. Cette étude a testé la capacité d’une simple modification du masque chirurgical en utilisant des élastiques pour créer un joint contre l’exposition aux particules qui serait conforme aux normes N95.
Background The COVID-19 pandemic has infected hundreds of millions of people resulting in millions of deaths worldwide. While N95 respirators remain the gold standard as personal protective equipment, they are resource-intensive to produce and obtain. Surgical masks, easier to produce and obtain, filter ≥95% submicron particles but are less protective due to a lack of seal around a user’s face. This study tested the ability of a simple surgical mask modification using rubber bands to create a seal against particle exposure that would pass N95 standards. Methods and findings Forty healthcare workers underwent TSI PortaCount mask fit testing using an ASTM Level 1 surgical mask modified with rubber bands. Fit Factor was determined after testing four standard OSHA N95 fit testing scenarios. Performance of the properly-modified surgical mask was compared to that of a poorly-modified surgical mask, an unmodified standard surgical mask, and an N95 respirator. Thirty-one of forty (78%) healthcare workers passed Fit Factor testing using a properly-modified mask. The Fit Factor success rate significantly improved by subsequent test date (p = 0.043), but was not associated with any other participant characteristics. The average Fit Factor score for the properly-modified mask was 151 (SD 65.2), a significantly better fit than the unmodified mask score of 3.8 (SD 3.1, p<0.001) and the poorly-modified mask score of 24.6 (SD 48.4, p<0.001) but significantly lower than a properly fitted N95 score of 199 (SD 4.5, p<0.001).do. Conclusions Rubber bands, a low-cost and easily-accessible modification, can improve the seal and protective ability of a standard surgical mask to the level of an N95 respirator. This could mitigate N95 respirator shortages worldwide and provide individuals in under-resourced regions a practical means for increased personal respiratory protection. Lisez l’article