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Two masks can be worse than one: N95 respirator failure caused by an overlying face mask

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 December 2022

Jeffrey T. Mueller Open the ORCID record for Jeffrey T. Mueller [Opens in a new window] ,
Holly D. Geyer Open the ORCID record for Holly D. Geyer [Opens in a new window] ,
Soroor Karimi ,
Karl A. Poterack Open the ORCID record for Karl A. Poterack [Opens in a new window] ,
Maria Teresa A. Seville ,
Skye Buckner Petty Open the ORCID record for Skye Buckner Petty [Opens in a new window]  and
Steven M. Tipton Open the ORCID record for Steven M. Tipton [Opens in a new window]
Jeffrey T. Mueller*
Affiliation:
Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Phoenix, Arizona
Holly D. Geyer
Affiliation:
Division of Hospital Internal Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Phoenix, Arizona
Soroor Karimi
Affiliation:
Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Tulsa, Tulsa, Oklahoma
Karl A. Poterack
Affiliation:
Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Phoenix, Arizona
Maria Teresa A. Seville
Affiliation:
Division of Clinical Trials and Biostatistics, Mayo Clinic, Phoenix, Arizona USA
Skye Buckner Petty
Affiliation:
Division of Clinical Trials and Biostatistics, Mayo Clinic, Phoenix, Arizona USA
Steven M. Tipton
Affiliation:
Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Tulsa, Tulsa, Oklahoma
*
Author for correspondence: Jeffrey T. Mueller, E-mail: mueller.jeff@mayo.edu
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Abstract

We have demonstrated the effect of covering an N95 filtering facepiece respirator (FFR) with an overlying face mask. In total, 100 participants successfully completed quantitative fit testing wearing a 3M 1870+ FFR. Among them, 13 (13%; 95% CI, 7%–22%) failed subsequent fit testing when simultaneously wearing a Halyard 47117 procedural mask over the FFR.

Type
Concise Communication
Information
Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology , Volume 44 , Issue 9 , September 2023 , pp. 1529 - 1531
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Copyright
© The Author(s), 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America

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References

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