Although this seems to be an effective method for mask ventilation, there may be concerns regarding the risk of ‘splash back’ of blood, especially during orthopaedic surgery. A recent article presents a novel way of mask application which not only reduces fogging but also considerably reduces the amount of ‘splash back’ into the faces of the surgeon and assistants.1
The technique (Figs 1 and 2) involves placing a face mask on in the conventional manner and another mask turned upside down. The second mask is placed at the level of the forehead with the plastic visor pointing inferiorly.
Figure 1.
Figure 2.
Footnotes
COMMENT ON doi 10.1308/003588405X51173 von Arx OA, Brooks RA. A simple technique to reduce fogging of a standard visor face mask. Ann R Coll Surg Engl 2005; 87: 387
Reference
- 1.Loveridge JM, Gozzard C, Bannister GC. The effectiveness of a visor as a surgical barrier: an inverted position is better. J Hosp Infect. 2006;62:251–3. doi: 10.1016/j.jhin.2005.04.008. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]