on par with N95 masks.
To achieve N95 protection, respirators must demonstrate a minimum score of 100 on a standard test battery – the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s pass threshold – against passage. of particles capable of making a person sick.
A research team led by a Michigan Medical Surgeon worked with 40 healthcare workers to examine Modified standard surgical mask with two 8 inch rubber bands on the top of the subject’s head, bridge of the nose, around the cheeks and under the chin of the subject within the boundaries of the mask.
Advertisement
Thirty-one subjects, or 78%, with modified masks passed the fit test with scores greater than 100. Those who scored an average of 151, fit significantly better than those with an average score of 151. unmodified surgical mask score of 3.8 but lower than the score of 199 for a properly fitted N95 mask. By the date of final investigation, all modified masks had passed the N95 threshold, indicating a more immersive experience with improved band fit and performance.
This easy modification could solve the worldwide shortage of N95 masks and make it available to health care workers and individuals in under-resourced areas – or even in the region. having the same resources as the United States when manufacturing demand cannot properly meet demand during a pandemic – a practical means of personal strengthening Jaimo Ahn, MD, Ph.D., FACS, senior author of article and is a professor of orthopedic surgery at the University of Michigan School of Medicine.
“While not a vaccine, this approach emphasizes prevention rather than treatment,” says Ahn. “While it’s not complicated, it has the potential to save lives and preserve health. Its effects will last in the presence of respiratory illnesses and demand for PPE outstrips supply. It has an immediate impact. and sustainable, but simple and cheap.”
Source: Eurekalert
