Abstract
BackgroundDue to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, interventions in the upper airways are considered high-risk procedures for otolaryngologists and their colleagues. The purpose of this study was to evaluate limitations in hearing and communication when using a powered air-purifying respirator (PAPR) system to protect against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus type 2 (SARS-CoV-2) transmission and to assess the benefit of a headset.MethodsAcoustic properties of the PAPR system were measured using a head and torso simulator. Audiological tests (tone audiometry, Freiburg speech test, Oldenburg sentence test (OLSA)) were performed in normal-hearing subjects (n = 10) to assess hearing with PAPR. The audiological test setup also included simulation of conditions in which the target speaker used either a PAPR, a filtering face piece (FFP) 3 respirator, or a surgical face mask.ResultsAudiological measurements revealed that sound insulation by the PAPR headtop and noise, generated by the blower-assisted respiratory protection system, resulted in significantly deteriorated hearing thresholds (4.0 ± 7.2 dB hearing level (HL) vs. 49.2 ± 11.0 dB HL, p < 0.001) and speech recognition scores in quiet (100.0 ± 0.0% vs. 2.5 ± 4.2%, p < 0.001; OLSA: 20.8 ± 1.8 dB vs. 61.0 ± 3.3 dB SPL, p < 0.001) when compared to hearing without PAPR. Hearing with PAPR was significantly improved when the subjects were equipped with an in-ear headset (p < 0.001). Sound attenuation by FFP3 respirators and surgical face masks had no clinically relevant impact on speech perception.ConclusionsThe PAPR system evaluated here can be considered for high-risk procedures in SARS-CoV-2-positive patients, provided that hearing and communication of the surgical team are optimized by the additional use of a headset.
Highlights
A local outbreak of a previously unknown disease, COVID-19, caused by infection with a novel coronavirus, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)-CoV-2 [1], in Wuhan, Hubai Province, China, rapidly developed into a global epidemic in early 2020 and is currently posing major challenges to the world’s healthcare systems.This remarkably variable disease shows a broad spectrum of clinical manifestations, ranging from completely asymptomatic patients [2] to rapidly progressive courses with lethal outcome despite intensive care treatment [3]
Acoustical properties of the powered air-purifying respirator (PAPR) system Sound pressure level of the noise generated by the fan of the blower-assisted respiratory protection system is shown in Fig. 2B
In the frequency region of 3–5 kHz, which is important for the intelligibility of speech, sound insulation was in the range of 20 dB
Summary
A local outbreak of a previously unknown disease, COVID-19, caused by infection with a novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2 [1], in Wuhan, Hubai Province, China, rapidly developed into a global epidemic in early 2020 and is currently posing major challenges to the world’s healthcare systems.This remarkably variable disease shows a broad spectrum of clinical manifestations, ranging from completely asymptomatic patients [2] to rapidly progressive courses with lethal outcome despite intensive care treatment [3]. A local outbreak of a previously unknown disease, COVID-19, caused by infection with a novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2 [1], in Wuhan, Hubai Province, China, rapidly developed into a global epidemic in early 2020 and is currently posing major challenges to the world’s healthcare systems. Adequate personal protective equipment (PPE) is required for operations on COVID-19 patients and for emergency interventions, e.g. in case of acute respiratory distress or life-threatening bleeding in the upper airways This is of particular importance when the SARS-CoV-2 test result is unknown or delayed. The purpose of this study was to evaluate limitations in hearing and communication when using a powered air-purifying respirator (PAPR) system to protect against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus type 2 (SARS-CoV-2) transmission and to assess the benefit of a headset
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
