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The effect of an air purifier on aerosol generation measurements during clinical motility testing
Author(s) -
Verbeure Wout,
Geeraerts Annelies,
Huang IHsuan,
Timmermans Lien,
Tóth Joran,
Geysen Hannelore,
Cools Louise,
Carbone Florencia,
Schol Jolien,
Devriese Herman,
Haesaerts Rico,
Mori Hideki,
Vanuytsel Tim,
Tack Jan
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
neurogastroenterology and motility
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.489
H-Index - 105
eISSN - 1365-2982
pISSN - 1350-1925
DOI - 10.1111/nmo.14227
Subject(s) - aerosol , air purifier , medicine , catheter , particle counter , air filter , contamination , particle (ecology) , filtration (mathematics) , surgery , chromatography , nuclear medicine , biomedical engineering , chemistry , mathematics , mechanical engineering , ecology , oceanography , statistics , organic chemistry , engineering , inlet , biology , geology
Background Aerosol spread is key to interpret the risk of viral contamination during clinical procedures such as esophageal high‐resolution manometry (HRM). Installing an air purifier seems a legitimate strategy, but this has recently been questioned. Methods Patients undergoing an HRM procedure at the Leuven University Hospital were included in this clinical study. All subjects had to wear a surgical mask which was only lowered beneath the nose during the placement and removal of the nasogastric catheter. The number of aerosol particles was measured by a Lasair ® II Particle Counter to obtain data about different particles sizes: 0.3; 0.5; 1.0; 3.0; 5.0; and 10.0 µm. Measurements were done immediately before the placement and the removal of the HRM catheter, and one and 5 min after. A portable air purifier with high‐efficiency particle air filters was installed in the hospital room. Key Results Thirteen patients underwent a manometry examination. The amount of 0.3 µm‐sized particles was unaffected during the whole procedure. The larger particle sizes (1.0; 3.0; 5.0; and 10.0 µm) decreased when the catheter was positioned, but not 0.5 µm. During the HRM measurements itself, these numbers decreased further. Yet, 1 min after catheter removal a significant elevation of particles was seen, which did not recover within 5 min. Conclusions & Interferences Based on this study, there is no evidence that filtration systems reduce aerosol particles properly during a clinical investigation.