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Respiratory Flow Characteristics Of Intensive Care Healthcare Workers Performing Patient Care Activities, Shawn R. Williamson

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

In the United States, under OSHA regulations, all respirators used in the workplace must be certified by the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). Under current NIOSH standards, loose-fitting powered air-purifying respirators (PAPR) must provide a minimum operational flow of 170 liters per minute. The objective of this study was to characterize the breathing flow rates of nine health care workers during patient care activities typically performed in a hospital's intensive care unit. This characterization will be used to determine the feasibility of lowering the minimum operational flow rate of PAPRS used in health care settings.

Each participant …

Evaluating The Consistency Of A Breathing Flow Recording Device Across Different Elastomeric Half-Mask Respirators, Samuel Jennings Munnis

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) is the organization in charge of approving respiratory devices in the United States, as permitted by 42 CFR Part 84. Standards that NIOSH uses to certify powered air-purifying respirators (PAPRs) are based on respiratory data collected before the 21^st century. With new technologies, it is possible to gain a more accurate understanding of breathing flow of healthcare workers (HCWs). A new portable breathing flow recording device developed by The S.E.A. Group was intended for use with a Sundström SR100 mask with a P100 filter. This study tests the device with …