Effective design of barrier enclosure to contain aerosol emissions from COVID‐19 patients

Facing shortages of personal protective equipment, some clinicians have advocated the use of barrier enclosures (typically mounted over the head, with and without suction) to contain aerosol emissions from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) patients. There is, however, little evidence for its usefu...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Indoor Air 2021-09, Vol.31 (5), p.1639-1644
Main Authors: Daniel, Dan, Lin, Marcus, Luhung, Irvan, Lui, Tony, Sadovoy, Anton, Koh, Xueqi, Sng, Anqi, Tran, Tuan, Schuster, Stephan C., Jun Loh, Xian, Thet, Oo Schwe, Tan, Chee Keat
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
aerosol
Aerosols
airborne transmissions
barrier enclosure
Coronaviruses
COVID-19
Emissions
Enclosures
Exposure
Flow velocity
infection control
Original
Protective equipment
Suction
Suctioning
Viral diseases
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Summary:Facing shortages of personal protective equipment, some clinicians have advocated the use of barrier enclosures (typically mounted over the head, with and without suction) to contain aerosol emissions from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) patients. There is, however, little evidence for its usefulness. To test the effectiveness of such a device, we built a manikin that can expire micron‐sized aerosols at flow rates close to physiological conditions. We then placed the manikin inside the enclosure and used a laser sheet to visualize the aerosol leaking out. We show that with sufficient suction, it is possible to effectively contain aerosol from the manikin, reducing aerosol exposure outside the enclosure by 99%. In contrast, a passive barrier without suction only reduces aerosol exposure by 60%.
ISSN:0905-6947
1600-0668
DOI:10.1111/ina.12828