Dr. Maninder Ahuja
MHT and Mid life
In a Simplified way EXPLAINING MASKS AND PPEs
On one hand, masks are not available for the risk group while on another hand, who are not at risk, spending unnecessary money and energy to procure these masks.
TO improve the understanding about the various types of commonly used masks and clarify the proper indications of use.
MASKS:
Q1 … What are the common types of masks
Ans…
Q2… What are the Respirators
Ans.
Q3.. what is the difference between mask and respirator
Ans… Mask has a loose fit, it doesn’t seal nose and mouth snugly. During respiration air moves along the edges of the mask, while respirator has a tight seal and most of the time air passes only through its material after filtration.
Q4… Are all respirator masks are same
Ans…
Q5… what is the efficiency grading
Ans…
Q.6.. what is the N, R or P meaning written over a mask
Ans…
Q7. Few Respirator masks have the valve, what is that.
Ans… That valve is nothing but a simple exhalation port with one-way valve mechanism, it reduces effort of expiration, reduces heat inside the mask, dissipate humidity and reduce co2 the amount of from the dead space of mask.
Q.8… When to use surgical masks.
Ans… Surgical mask or procedure mask is the most common mask used by health workers.
It is not designed to protect wearer from inhaling the air born bacteria and viruses.
It is used to block only large-particle droplets, splashes, sprays or splatter. It also reduces the exposure of the wearer’s saliva and respiratory secretions to others.
Surgical mask also reminds wearer not to touch their mouth/nose which could otherwise transfer virus/bacteria after having touched a contaminated surface.
Q9… What is the filtration capacity of the surgical mask
Ans… It can vary between 10-90% according to the manufacturer.
Q..10.. how one can assure about the quality of the mask
Ans… Mask should be certified by the
NIOSH (National institute for occupational safety and health)
Or
NPPTL (National personal protective technology laboratory )
Q.11… Does the cloth mask effectively?
Ans… The cloth is a woven material thus pore size is bigger than a surgical mask which is made up of non-woven polypropylene material thus cloth mask is less effective than the surgical mask in terms of filtration efficiency.
Q..12 … Does extra layer improve the efficacy of cloth mask
Ans… No, it’s not advisable. Each extra layer adds only 2% of extra protection on the cost of comfort.
Q.13… Can surgical/cloth mask be used routinely
Ans… Yes, these can be used routinely.
Few studies done on the normal population concluded that the use of the simple mask can decrease the incidence of flu up to 75%.
Few East Asian countries following this practice of routine use of masks.
Q.14… Can mask be reused?
Ans. -Cloth mask can be reused after washing
– Surgical mask should be discarded after single use or after soiled – Respirator mask should be discarded when the resistance of breathing gets increased or get solid.
Viruses/bacterias can grow and flourish inside the reused mask.
Q..15.. what are the WHO recommendations for using masks?
Ans…
– For the normal population, any type of mask is not required, maintaining the social distance and hand hygiene are the sufficient. – Sick person should wear a surgical mask
– Any person who is taking care of sick person should also wear the surgical mask. – N 95 mask should be used by the person who is potential to get expose with the respiratory secretions of the infected patient eg.
During the Endotracheal intubation, CPR, Ventilation, Bronchoscopy, and Tracheostomy, etc.
WHO GUIDELINES ON WHEN TO USE WHICH TYPE OF PPE
WHO GUIDELINES ON HAND HYGIENE
WHO RECOMMENDATIONS FOR HAND HYGIENE
Compiled By Dr. Maninder Ahuja