Institution of a Novel Process for N95 Respirator Disinfection with Vaporized Hydrogen Peroxide in the Setting of the COVID-19 Pandemic at a Large Academic Medical Center

• Published in: Journal of the American College of Surgeons Vol. 231; no. 2; pp. 275 - 280
• Main Authors: Grossman, Julie, Pierce, Andrew, Mody, Jessica, Gagne, Jason, Sykora, Carol, Sayood, Sena, Cook, Susan, Shomer, Nirah, Liang, Stephen Y., Eckhouse, Shaina R.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01.08.2020; by the American College of Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Inc
• Subjects: Academic Medical Centers; Betacoronavirus; Coronavirus Infections - epidemiology; Coronavirus Infections - prevention & control; COVID-19; Disinfection - methods; Equipment Contamination - prevention & control; Humans; Hydrogen Peroxide - chemistry; Infectious Disease Transmission, Patient-to-Professional - prevention & control; Masks - supply & distribution; Masks - virology; Missouri - epidemiology; Pandemics - prevention & control; Pneumonia, Viral - epidemiology; Pneumonia, Viral - prevention & control; SARS-CoV-2; Missouri; COVID-19; WUSM; BJH; PPE; UVGI; VHP
• ISSN: 1072-7515; 1879-1190
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jamcollsurg.2020.04.029

Personal protective equipment (PPE) has been an invaluable yet limited resource when it comes to protecting healthcare workers against infection during the 2019 coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. In the US, N95 respirator supply chains are severely strained and conservation strategies are needed. A multidisciplinary team at the Washington University School of Medicine, Barnes Jewish Hospital, and BJC Healthcare was formed to implement a program to disinfect N95 respirators. The process described extends the life of N95 respirators using vaporized hydrogen peroxide (VHP) disinfection and allows healthcare workers to retain their own N95 respirator across a large metropolitan healthcare system.