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Tracheal intubation and extubation may not produce enough aerosols to warrant being designated as procedures associated with high risk for transmission of SARS-CoV-2, researchers say.
The researchers’ sampling of particle sizes in operating rooms calls into question the extreme infection protocols that have been mandated in many hospitals since the outbreak of COVID-19.
“Our findings are quite striking in that we don’t see aerosol generated to a significant level,” said Tony Pickering, MBChB, PhD, a professor of neuroscience and anestheisa at the University of Bristol in the United Kingdom.
The study was published in Anaesthesia.
Experts, however, are split on whether the data are sufficient to change safety protocols.
Aerosolized Droplets Monitored
Droplets greater than 20 µm in diameter appear to be the primary route by which SARS-CoV-2 is transmitted, but there is some evidence