COVID-19: Biosafety in the Intensive Care Unit
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COVID-19 IN THE TROPICS: IMPACT AND SOLUTIONS (AJ RODRIGUEZ-MORALES, SECTION EDITOR))
COVID-19: Biosafety in the Intensive Care Unit Diego Andrés Díaz-Guio 1,2,3 & Yimmy Díaz-Guio 1,2 & Valentina Pinzón-Rodas 1 & Ana Sofía Díaz-Gomez 1 & Jorge Andrés Guarín-Medina 4 & Yesid Chaparro-Zúñiga 5 & Alejandra Ricardo-Zapata 1 & Alfonso J. Rodriguez-Morales 6,7
# Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020, corrected publication 2020
Abstract Purpose of Review COVID-19 is a new, highly transmissible disease to which healthcare workers (HCWs) are exposed, especially in the intensive care unit (ICU). Information related to protection mechanisms is heterogeneous, and the infected HCWs’ number is increasing. This review intends to summarize the current knowledge and practices to protect ICU personnel during the patient management process in the context of the current pandemic. Recent Findings The transmission mechanisms of SARS-CoV-2 are mainly respiratory droplets, aerosols, and contact. The virus can last for a few hours suspended in the air and be viable on surfaces for several days. Some procedures carried out in the ICU can generate aerosols. The shortage of respirators, such as the N95, has generated an increase in the demand for other protective equipment in critical care settings. Summary The probability of transmission depends on the characteristics of the pathogen, the availability of quality personal protective equipment, and the human factors associated with the performance of health workers. It is necessary to have knowledge of the virus and availability of the best possible personal protection equipment, develop skills for handling equipment, and develop non-technical skills during all intensive care process; this can be achieved through structured training. Keywords COVID-19 . SARS-CoV-2 . Cooperative behavior . Personal protective equipment . Biosafety . Critical care unit . Education . Medical
Introduction Coronaviruses belong to the family Coronaviridae, which comprise a great number of viruses common in humans and other
animals [1]. The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), a new Betacoronavirus, is the etiological agent of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) [2, 3]. SARSCoV-2 is an RNA virus, the seventh in a coronavirus family
This article is part of the Topical Collection on Emerging Tropical Diseases * Diego Andrés Díaz-Guio [email protected] 1
Education and Simulation Research Group (EdSIMc), Centro de Simulación Clínica VitalCare, 16N street 14-50, Armenia, Colombia
2
Critical Care Department, Hospital Universitario San Juan de Dios, Armenia, Colombia
3
Doctoral Program in Education, Arts and Humanities Faculty, Universidad de Caldas, Manizales, Colombia
4
Critical Care Department, Westküstenklinikum, Heide, Schleswig Holstein, Germany
5
Internal Medicine Department, Hospital Universitario Santa Clara, Bogota, Colombia
6
Public Health and Infection Research Group, Faculty of Health Sciences, Universidad Tecnológica de Pereira, Pereira, Risaralda, Colombia
7
Gru
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