As the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) illnesses continues to escalate amidst a substandard supply of protective equipment for health care providers, the question of extended use or reuse of N95 masks has emerged. As well, the relative effectiveness of the N95 compared to other mask types hasbeen entertained. A recent article by Abd-Elsayed and Karri1 aim to put these topics into focus. In addition, personal correspondence between Drs Richard Prielipp (University of Minnesota Department of Anesthesiology) and Peter Tsai (inventor of the N95 mask) offers perspectives on managing the reuse of this central element of protective equipment.
Footnotes
The Infographic is composed by Naveen Nathan, MD, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine (n-nathan@northwestern.edu). Illustration by Naveen Nathan, MD.
The author declares no conflicts of interest.
REFERENCE
- 1.Abd-Elsayed A, Karri J. Utility of substandard face mask options for health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Anesth Analg. 2020;XXX:XXX. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]