Facemasks for Source Control: Testing Influenza Transfer to Bedside Tables
| dc.contributor.author | Biggio, Adriane | en |
| dc.contributor.author | Raczynski, Michael E. | en |
| dc.contributor.author | deValpine, Maria G. | en |
| dc.contributor.author | Nagy-Agren, Stephanie E. | en |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2022-02-16T14:28:17Z | en |
| dc.date.available | 2022-02-16T14:28:17Z | en |
| dc.date.issued | 2021-07-01 | en |
| dc.date.updated | 2022-02-16T14:28:14Z | en |
| dc.description.abstract | Background: Research testing human study participants regarding the effectiveness of face masks in preventing influenza transfer or transmission is limited. In this pilot study, we investigated the following question: In influenza-positive veterans, what is the effect of face-mask wearing in comparison to not wearing a face mask on influenza transfer to bedside tables measured for 2 hours per condition over a 10-week period during the 2019–2020 influenza season. Methods: Influenza-positive veterans with influenza symptom onset ≤ 120 hours admitted to the Salem Veterans Affairs Medical Center were recruited to participate in this study. Exclusion criteria included critical illness requiring an oxygen mask or intubation. The Precept® FluidGard® 160 Procedure Mask 15300, Precept Medical Products, Inc., Arden, NC was worn by all participants during the two-hour intervention period. Surface swabs were used to measure the presence of influenza on bedside tables. CDC/NIOSH tested for influenza A and B from surface samples and facemasks using real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay (TaqMan ThermoFisher Scientific). Demographic information was collected (Table 1). A study questionnaire collected qualitative data on tolerability and feasibility of wearing a facemask when hospitalized with influenza. Institutional Review Board approval was granted. Results: From January 2, 2020, to March 11, 2020, 8 participants completed the study. Mean age was 67 years, all were male. Of these 8 participants, 6 had influenza A and 2 had influenza B. Half were diabetic; all received oseltamivir. Relative room humidity ranged from 15.6% to 39.8%. Neither influenza A nor B was detected by qPCR on bedside tables for any of the 8 participants under either face-mask–wearing condition. All participants reported that wearing the face mask was easy or very easy; of these, 5 reported experiencing warmth from the mask. Also, 50% of participants selected 2 hours as the time they could tolerate wearing a mask; the other 25% specified they could wear the face mask for 3 hours or 5 hours or more, respectively. Conclusions: In this pilot study, we demonstrated that wearing face masks is a tolerable infection control practice for providing source control for inpatients with influenza and will guide future research. Because a major limitation was the small size of the study, associated with lack of viral capture, a larger study is planned. Using face masks for source control among inpatients with influenza and other respiratory virus infections should be considered a standard infection control practice. | en |
| dc.description.notes | Yes (Peer reviewed?) | en |
| dc.description.version | Published version | en |
| dc.format.extent | Pages s77-s77 | en |
| dc.format.mimetype | application/pdf | en |
| dc.identifier.doi | https://doi.org/10.1017/ash.2021.151 | en |
| dc.identifier.eissn | 2732-494X | en |
| dc.identifier.issn | 2732-494X | en |
| dc.identifier.issue | 1(S1), S77-S77 | en |
| dc.identifier.orcid | Nagy-Agren, Stephanie [0000-0003-2481-196X] | en |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/10919/108373 | en |
| dc.identifier.volume | 1 | en |
| dc.language.iso | en | en |
| dc.publisher | Antimicrobial Stewardship & Healthcare Epidemiology | en |
| dc.rights | In Copyright | en |
| dc.rights.uri | http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ | en |
| dc.title | Facemasks for Source Control: Testing Influenza Transfer to Bedside Tables | en |
| dc.title.serial | Antimicrobial Stewardship & Healthcare Epidemiology | en |
| dc.type | Conference proceeding | en |
| dc.type.dcmitype | Text | en |
| pubs.organisational-group | /Virginia Tech | en |
| pubs.organisational-group | /Virginia Tech/VT Carilion School of Medicine | en |
| pubs.organisational-group | /Virginia Tech/VT Carilion School of Medicine/Internal Medicine | en |
| pubs.organisational-group | /Virginia Tech/VT Carilion School of Medicine/Internal Medicine/General IM | en |