Exhaled gases and the potential for cross-infection via noninvasive ventilation machines

Benjamin Messer; Alison Dawn Armstrong; Nicholas David Lane; Ali Robb; Robert Edward Bullock

doi:10.1183/23120541.00109-2022

Exhaled gases and the potential for cross-infection via noninvasive ventilation machines

ERJ Open Res. 2022 Jul 4;8(3):00109-2022. doi: 10.1183/23120541.00109-2022. eCollection 2022 Jul.

Authors

Benjamin Messer¹, Alison Dawn Armstrong¹, Nicholas David Lane^{1

2}, Ali Robb³, Robert Edward Bullock¹

Affiliations

¹ The North East Assisted Ventilation Service, The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK.
² Translational and Clinical Research Institute, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK.
³ Newcastle Microbiology and Virology Services, The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK.

Abstract

Guidelines suggest that exhaled gases do not reach the outlet of noninvasive ventilators in clinical use. In this study, when tidal volumes exceeded 800 mL, exhaled gases did reach the ventilator, leading to a risk of cross-infection between users. https://bit.ly/3EdvtY6.