Back to Search
Start Over
Environmental contamination in a coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) intensive care unit—What is the risk?
Environmental contamination in a coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) intensive care unit—What is the risk?
- Source :
- Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology, Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology
- Publication Year :
- 2020
- Publisher :
- Cambridge University Press, 2020.
-
Abstract
- Background:The risk of environmental contamination by severe acute respiratory coronavirus virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in the intensive care unit (ICU) is unclear. We evaluated the extent of environmental contamination in the ICU and correlated this with patient and disease factors, including the impact of different ventilatory modalities.Methods:In this observational study, surface environmental samples collected from ICU patient rooms and common areas were tested for SARS-CoV-2 by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Select samples from the common area were tested by cell culture. Clinical data were collected and correlated to the presence of environmental contamination. Results were compared to historical data from a previous study in general wards.Results:In total, 200 samples from 20 patient rooms and 75 samples from common areas and the staff pantry were tested. The results showed that 14 rooms had at least 1 site contaminated, with an overall contamination rate of 14% (28 of 200 samples). Environmental contamination was not associated with day of illness, ventilatory mode, aerosol-generating procedures, or viral load. The frequency of environmental contamination was lower in the ICU than in general ward rooms. Eight samples from the common area were positive, though all were negative on cell culture.Conclusion:Environmental contamination in the ICU was lower than in the general wards. The use of mechanical ventilation or high-flow nasal oxygen was not associated with greater surface contamination, supporting their use and safety from an infection control perspective. Transmission risk via environmental surfaces in the ICUs is likely to be low. Nonetheless, infection control practices should be strictly reinforced, and transmission risk via droplet or airborne spread remains.
- Subjects :
- Microbiology (medical)
Adult
Male
medicine.medical_specialty
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)
Epidemiology
medicine.medical_treatment
030501 epidemiology
Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction
law.invention
03 medical and health sciences
0302 clinical medicine
law
Risk Factors
Patients' Rooms
medicine
Infection control
Humans
Medicine [Science]
030212 general & internal medicine
Decontamination
Aged
Mechanical ventilation
Aged, 80 and over
Cross Infection
business.industry
Transmission (medicine)
SARS-CoV-2
Air
COVID-19
Contamination
Middle Aged
Intensive care unit
Respiration, Artificial
Intensive Care Units
Infectious Diseases
Emergency medicine
Observational study
Original Article
Female
0305 other medical science
business
Viral load
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 15596834 and 0899823X
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....cc860d7e705c442900c78d2bd23f7c2f