N95 Respiratory Isolation Personal Protective Equipment for Reuse
In This Video
- N95 respirators are necessary for patients on airborne isolation or for droplet isolation patients undergoing aerosol generating procedures
- In this video, a health care worker demonstrates the process for donning, performing a fit check and doffing an N95 respirator
Transcript
Process for donning, performing a fit check and doffing an N95 respirator for reuse
Surgical masks should not be used for patients on airborne isolation or for droplet isolation patients undergoing aerosol generating procedures. These patients require N95 respirators.
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1. Donning Respiratory Isolation PPE with an N95 Respirator
To don an N95 respirator, cup the respirator in one hand, allowing the straps to hang below. Cup the respirator to your chin, place the top strap of the respirator at the crown of your head and the bottom strap of the respirator at the base of your neck. Smooth the nose piece on both sides avoiding pinching the nose piece, which could create a gap.
2. Performing a user seal check with an N95 respirator
A user seal check is a procedure conducted by the respirator wearer to determine if the respirator is being properly worn. This must be conducted every time you don a respirator. The user seal check can be either a positive pressure or negative pressure check. During a positive pressure user seal check, the respirator user exhales gently while blocking the paths for air to exit the face piece. A successful check is when the face piece is slightly pressurized before increased pressure causes outward leakage. During a negative pressure user seal check, the respirator user inhales sharply while blocking the paths for air to enter the face piece. A successful check is when the face piece collapses slightly under the negative pressure that is created with this procedure.
A user seal check is sometimes referred to as a fit check. As a reminder, a user seal check should be completed each time the respirator is donned. If the seal check is unsuccessful, common failure points are the nose piece. Readjust the respirator and re-smooth the nose piece over the nose avoiding pinching and creating a gap. Then, reperform the seal check to ensure a proper fit.
3. Doffing Respiratory Isolation PPE with an N95 respirator for reuse
This segment will show doffing respiratory isolation personal protective equipment. First, remove gown and gloves in a single step. Roll the gown into itself, peeling off gloves at the same time. Hold the gown away from your body and discard. Next, remove and either discard or save for reuse your eye protection
To remove the N95 respirator, begin by grasping at the back of the head, the bottom strap of the respirator, pull over your head and let hang. In a sniffing position, grab the top strap, pull over the top of the head gently and doff the respirator. After use, place the removed N95 respirator or mask in a clean, dry, labeled receptacle, then perform hand hygiene. Reusable respirators and masks should be kept in a separate receptacle than reusable eye protection.
4. Redonning Respiratory Isolation PPE with an N95 respirator reuse
When redonning the N95 respirator, grasp straps with one hand and respirator front with the other. Maneuver straps with clean hand for placement. Don the N95 respirator with the top strap at the crown of the head and the bottom strap at the base of the neck. Perform seal check taking care to avoid touching face or eyes. Discard gloves and perform hand hygiene.
Don new gloves. Finally, don eye protection with a disposable face shield, fully reusable goggles or personal goggles with a reusable frame and disposable lens.
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