COVID-19 PPE kits could lead to skin injuries among medics: Researchers

Researchers in China have discovered that 42.8 per cent of the medical staff treating COVID-19-infected patients experienced serious skin injuries related to the use of personal protective equipment (PPE), including masks, goggles, face shields, and protective gowns. The study was published in the science journal Advances in Wound Care and revealed these skin injuries pose a high risk of infection.

“We wanted to investigate the prevalence, characteristics, and preventive status of skin injuries caused by personal protective equipment (PPE) in medical staff,” the authors of the study wrote.

The study was based on a cross-sectional survey that was conducted online between February 8 and 12. The aim of the survey was to understand skin injuries among medical staff fighting the health crisis. The researchers found the overall prevalence of skin injuries was 42.8 per cent. They also devised three types of PPE-related skin injuries, device-related pressure injuries, moist associated skin damage, and skin tear.

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According to the study, heavy sweating, greater wearing time were amongst many reasons that cause these injuries. They added being a  male was also a cause as was using grade 3 instead of grade 2 PPE. Talking about the limitations of the study, researchers wrote that because it was conducted during an emergency, they were not able to observe the negative affect on the medical staff. Also, it was impossible for them to compare the results of “prevention and treatment” measures.

COVID-19 pandemic

WHO had declared the Coronavirus outbreak as a Pandemic on March 11. At present, there are around 3,424,495 confirmed cases of COVID-19 infection across the globe and the disease has led to the death of around 240,391 people. In a ray of hope, around 1,093,772 people are also reported to have recovered. Leading the number of worldwide cases of novel coronavirus COVID-19 infection, the United States has become the new epicentre of the pandemic surpassing China, Italy, and Iran. 

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