Abstract
To determine whether phacoemulsification cataract surgery is an aerosol-generating medical procedure (AGMP) and, therefore, to help determine the personal protective equipment required by healthcare providers in the era of the COVID-19. The Surgery, Teaching and Research Wet Lab of the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, UBC. Laboratory-based simulation. Phacoemulsification cataract surgery was performed on porcine eyes. At a fixed distance, a DRX Aerosol Monitor 8534 (DustTrak) was used to measure particulate matter (PM) mass fractions for each of 3 particle sizes, PM1, PM2.5, and PM4 (in microns), every 2 seconds during surgery and for 1 minute after. The main outcome measure was an increase in the mass fraction of aerosolized particles of various sizes. There was no significant aerosolization of particles during cataract surgery for both the 2.4 and 2.75 mm wound sizes. Phacoemulsification cataract surgery was not found to be an AGMP. In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, ophthalmologists can continue to use droplet precautions while performing this surgery.
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