Ciarraí O’Toole This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.1, James A. McGrath1, Mary Joyce2, Gavin Bennett2, Miriam A. Byrne1, Ronan MacLoughlin2,3,4 1 School of Physics & Ryan Institute’s Centre for Climate and Air Pollution Studies, National University of Ireland Galway H91 CF50, Galway, Ireland
2 Aerogen, IDA Business Park, Dangan, H91 HE94, Galway, Ireland
3 School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences, Royal College of Surgeons, D02 YN77, Dublin, Ireland
4 School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Trinity College, D02 PN40, Dublin, Ireland
Received:
April 27, 2020
Copyright The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are cited.
Revised:
September 3, 2020
Accepted:
October 3, 2020
Download Citation:
||https://doi.org/10.4209/aaqr.2020.04.0176
O’Toole, C., McGrath, J.A., Joyce, M., Bennett, G., Byrne, M.A. and MacLoughlin, R. (2020). Fugitive Aerosol Therapy Emissions during Mechanical Ventilation: In Vitro Assessment of the Effect of Tidal Volume and Use of Protective Filters. Aerosol Air Qual. Res. 20: 2604–2613. https://doi.org/10.4209/aaqr.2020.04.0176
Cite this article:
Background: During mechanical ventilation of a patient requiring ventilatory support, bystanders could potentially be exposed to aerosolised drug. Methods: Fugitive drug aerosol emissions during simulated adult mechanical ventilation was assessed on a dual limb circuit. Tidal volume was set at 270 mL and 820 mL. The use of a protective filter on the exhalation port of the mechanical ventilator was assessed. Results: Higher fugitive aerosol mass concentrations in the local environment were associated with larger tidal volume (0.077 (0.073, 0.091) mg m–3 at Vt = 820 mL vs. 0.062 (0.056, 0.065) mg m–3 at Vt = 270 mL) when no protective filter was used. The range of mass median aerodynamic diameters recorded was from 0.93 to 2.96 µm. When a filter was placed on the exhalation port of the mechanical ventilator, no fugitive emissions were recorded. Conclusion: This study confirms that an appropriate filtration protocol mitigates the risk of fugitive emissions being released when patients undergo aerosol therapy during mechanical ventilation. A larger tidal volume resulted in higher fugitive aerosol mass.HIGHLIGHTS
ABSTRACT
Keywords:
Aerosols; Protective filters; Exposure; Fugitive; Exhaled air.