ArticleThe Journal of hospital infection2020
N95 mask reuse in a major urban hospital: COVID-19 response process and procedure.
Article in The Journal of hospital infection, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 26 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
26 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 50 citations in OpenAlex.
- Mask decontamination methods (model N95) for respiratory protection: a rapid review.Systematic reviews · 2021Pooled it
- Safety in the practice of decontaminating filtering facepiece respirators: A systematic review.American journal of infection control · 2021Pooled it
- Effectiveness of Personal Protective Equipment against Coronavirus Disease 2019 Transmission: A Case-Control Study.The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene · 2025Article
- A novel investigations on medical and non-medical mask performance with influence of marine waste microplastics (polypropylene).Marine pollution bulletin · 2023Article
- Article
- Surface Oxidation of CuNanomaterials (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Article
- Comparison of filtration efficiency and respiratory resistance of COVID-19 protective masks by multi-national standards.American journal of infection control · 2022Article
- Experimental and Simulation Studies on Nonwoven Polypropylene-Nitrile Rubber Blend: Recycling of Medical Face Masks to an Engineering Product.ACS omega · 2022Article
- Review of the Effect of Continuous Use and Limited Reuse of N95 Respirators on Respirator Fit.Journal of the International Society for Respiratory Protection · 2022Article
- Decontamination and reuse of personal protective masks and respirators in healthcare: Human-centered investigation and implementation considerations.Human factors in healthcare · 2021Article
- Standard hospital blanket warming cabinets can be utilized for complete moist heat SARS-CoV2 inactivation of contaminated N95 masks for re-use.Scientific reports · 2021Article
- Availability and use of personal protective equipment and satisfaction of healthcare professionals during COVID-19 pandemic in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.Archives of public health = Archives belges de sante publique · 2021Article
- Innovative Textiles Used in Face Masks: Filtration Efficiency and Self-Disinfecting Properties against Coronaviruses.Nanomaterials (Basel, Switzerland) · 2021Article
- Specificity of UV-C LED disinfection efficacy for three N95 respirators.Scientific reports · 2021Article
- Article
- Assessment of the impact of multiple mild-steam decontaminations on the protection performance of disposable KN95 filtering facepiece respirators.Infection prevention in practice · 2021Article
- Article
- An international survey of healthcare workers use of personal protective equipment during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic.Journal of the American College of Emergency Physicians open · 2021Article
- Ultraviolet-C as a Viable Reprocessing Method for Disposable Masks and Filtering Facepiece Respirators.Polymers · 2021Review
- Decontamination of N95 respirators against SARS-CoV-2: A scoping review.Journal of dentistry · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
9 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe shortage of single-use N95 respirator masks (NRMs) during the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic has prompted consideration of NRM recycling to extend limited stocks by healthcare providers and facilities.
aimTo assess potential reuse via autoclaving of NRMs worn daily in a major urban Canadian hospital.
methodsNRM reusability was assessed following collection from volunteer staff after 2-8 h use, sterilization by autoclaving and PortaCount fit testing. A workflow was developed for reprocessing hundreds of NRMs daily.
findingsUsed NRMs passed fit testing after autoclaving once, with 86% passing a second reuse/autoclave cycle. A separate cohort of used masks pre-warmed before autoclaving passed fit testing. To recycle 200-1000 NRMs daily, procedures for collection, sterilization and re-distribution were developed to minimize particle aerosolization risk during NRM handling, to reject NRM showing obvious wear, and to promote adoption by staff. NRM recovery ranged from 49% to 80% across 12 collection cycles.
conclusionReuse of NRMs is feasible in major hospitals and other healthcare facilities. In sharp contrast to studies of unused NRMs passing fit testing after 10 autoclave cycles, we show that daily wear substantially reduces NRM fit, limiting reuse to a single cycle, but still increasing NRM stocks by ∼66%. Such reuse requires development of a comprehensive plan that includes communication across staffing levels, from front-line workers to hospital administration, to increase the collection, acceptance of and adherence to sterilization processes for NRM recovery.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.