1. Physiological Effects of N95 FFP and PPE in Healthcare Workers in COVID Intensive Care Unit: A Prospective Cohort Study
- Author
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Saurav Mitra Mustafi, Ajay Kumar, Deepa Kerketta Khurana, Arin Choudhury, Meena Singh, Saumya Sharma, and Usha Ganapathy
- Subjects
medicine.medical_specialty ,Oxygen saturation ,Physiological ,Heart rate ,Stress ,Critical Care and Intensive Care Medicine ,law.invention ,03 medical and health sciences ,0302 clinical medicine ,law ,Personal protective equipment ,Perfusion index ,Healthcare workers ,Medicine ,Intensive care unit ,Exertion ,Adverse effect ,Prospective cohort study ,Oxygen saturation (medicine) ,Rating of perceived exertion ,business.industry ,COVID-19 ,030208 emergency & critical care medicine ,030228 respiratory system ,Emergency medicine ,Original Article ,business ,N95 respirators ,Cohort study - Abstract
Background Healthcare workers (HCWs) are at increased risk of exposure to severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). Personal protective equipment (PPE) is mandated for HCWs. However, the physiological effects on the HCWs while working in the protective gear remains unexplored. This study aimed to assess the physiological effects of the prolonged use of PPE on HCWs. Materials and methods Seventy-five HCWs, aged 18–50 years were enrolled in this prospective, observational, cohort study. The physiological variables [heart rate, oxygen saturation, and perfusion index (PI)] were recorded at the start of duty, 4 hours after wearing N95 filtering facepiece respirator (FFR), pre-donning, and post-doffing. The rating of perceived exertion (RPE) score and modified Borg scale for dyspnea was evaluated. The physiological variables were represented as the mean ± standard deviation. Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used to show any difference in RPE and modified Borg scale for dyspnea. A p value of
- Published
- 2020