Personal protective equipment has become an important and emotive subject during the current coronavirus disease 2019 epidemic. Coronavirus disease 2019 is predominantly caused by contact or droplet transmission attributed to relatively large respiratory particles which are subject to gravitational forces and travel only approximately 1 metre from the patient. Airborne transmission may occur if patient respiratory activity or medical procedures generate respiratory aerosols. These aerosols contain particles that may travel much longer distances and remain airborne longer, but their infective potential is uncertain. Contact, droplet and airborne transmission are each relevant during airway manoeuvres in infected patients, particularly during tracheal intubation. Personal protective equipment is an important component, but only one part, of a system protecting staff and other patients from coronavirus disease 2019 cross-infection. Appropriate use significantly reduces risk of viral transmission. Personal protective equipment should logically be matched to the potential mode of viral transmission occurring during patient care - contact, droplet or airborne. Recommendations from international organisations are broadly consistent, but equipment use is not. Only airborne precautions include a fitted high-filtration mask, and this should be reserved for aerosol generating procedures. Uncertainty remains around certain details of personal protective equipment including use of hoods, mask type and the potential for re-use of equipment.

https://associationofanaesthetists-publications.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/anae.15071

Personal protective equipment during the coronavirus disease (COVID) 2019 pandemic - a narrative review.

Coughs and sneezes disperse a large number of droplets of varying size into the environment, and they transmit respiratory viral infections by direct or indirect physical contact, by droplets or inhalation of fine particulate droplet nuclei. Larger droplets in the cloud produced by coughing and sneezing settle quickly, and the force with which they are expelled determines how far they are dispersed. The respiratory droplets evaporate to form smaller droplet nuclei that carry infectious agents, remain suspended in air, and susceptible individuals farther away from the source could inhale them. The particle size distribution within the multi-phase cloud produced by coughs/sneezes changes with time and distance from the source depending on several environmental factors. After inhalation, larger respiratory droplets are filtered by the nose or deposit in the oropharynx, whereas smaller droplet nuclei are carried by the airstream into the lungs where their site of deposition depends on their mass, size and shape and is governed by various mechanisms. Airborne particles could also be produced by various aerosol generating procedures, such as suctioning or tracheal intubation, and by aerosol generators, especially jet nebulizers. Prevention of respiratory viral infections depends upon whether they are carried in respiratory droplets or as fine droplet nuclei (airborne or aerosol transmission). The SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19 is mainly transmitted by respiratory droplets or by contact. Airborne transmission of this virus has not been established, but is possible under special circumstances. Appropriate protective measures are necessary to prevent transmission of SARS-CoV-2 virus in various settings. This article is open access and distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives License 4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

Coughs and Sneezes: Their Role in Transmission of Respiratory Viral Infections, Including SARS-CoV-2.

The novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 has rapidly spread across the world from its origin in Wuhan, China in late 2019. The resultant disease (COVID-19) has placed an enormous burden on healthcare systems because of the high transmission rates, prevalence of severe disease and mortality [1]. The risk of viral transmission to healthcare workers has been a concern since the start of the outbreak and the first person to raise concerns about the illness to the international community was Dr Li Wen-Liang, an ophthalmologist in Wuhan who sadly died of the disease that he likely contracted whilst at work [2].

Deaths in healthcare workers due to COVID-19: the need for robust data and analysis.

Anesthetist-intensivists who treat patients with coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) are exposed to significant biological and psychosocial risks. Our study investigated the occupational and health conditions of anesthesiologists in a COVID-19 hub hospital in Latium, Italy. Ninety out of a total of 155 eligible workers (59%; male 48%) participated in the cross-sectional survey. Occupational stress was assessed with the Effort Reward Imbalance (ERI) questionnaire, organizational justice with the Colquitt Scale, insomnia with the Sleep Condition Indicator (SCI), and mental health with the Goldberg Anxiety and Depression Scale (GADS). A considerable percentage of workers (71.1%) reported high work-related stress, with an imbalance between high effort and low rewards. The level of perceived organizational justice was modest. Physical activity and meditation-the behaviors most commonly adopted to increase resilience-decreased. Workers also reported insomnia (36.7%), anxiety (27.8%), and depression (51.1%). The effort made for work was significantly correlated with the presence of depressive symptoms (r = 0.396). Anesthetists need to be in good health in order to ensure optimal care for COVID-19 patients. Their state of health can be improved by providing an increase in individual resources with interventions for better work organization.

https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/17/21/8245/pdf

Occupational Stress and Mental Health among Anesthetists during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Elektronische Heizungs-Hotelzimmer-Thermostat-Temperatursteuereinheit

Tracheal intubation in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients creates a risk to physiologically compromised patients and to attending healthcare providers. Clinical information on airway management and expert recommendations in these patients are urgently needed. By analysing a two-centre retrospective observational case series from Wuhan, China, a panel of international airway management experts discussed the results and formulated consensus recommendations for the management of tracheal intubation in COVID-19 patients. Of 202 COVID-19 patients undergoing emergency tracheal intubation, most were males (n=136; 67.3%) and aged 65 yr or more (n=128; 63.4%). Most patients (n=152; 75.2%) were hypoxaemic (Sao2 <90%) before intubation. Personal protective equipment was worn by all intubating healthcare workers. Rapid sequence induction (RSI) or modified RSI was used with an intubation success rate of 89.1% on the first attempt and 100% overall. Hypoxaemia (Sao2 <90%) was common during intubation (n=148; 73.3%). Hypotension (arterial pressure <90/60 mm Hg) occurred in 36 (17.8%) patients during and 45 (22.3%) after intubation with cardiac arrest in four (2.0%). Pneumothorax occurred in 12 (5.9%) patients and death within 24 h in 21 (10.4%). Up to 14 days post-procedure, there was no evidence of cross infection in the anaesthesiologists who intubated the COVID-19 patients. Based on clinical information and expert recommendation, we propose detailed planning, strategy, and methods for tracheal intubation in COVID-19 patients.

Amit Shah

Papers

Emergency tracheal intubation in 202 patients with COVID-19 in Wuhan, China: lessons learnt and international expert recommendations.