Ffp3 RESpirator CO2 (FRES-CO) Study [COVID-19]
Research type
Research Study
Full title
AN OBSERVATIONAL COHORT STUDY TO MEASURE CARBON DIOXIDE LEVELS AND TO INVESTIGATE THE PHYSIOLOGICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL IMPACTS ON HEALTHY VOLUNTEERS WHILST WEARING FILTERING FACE PIECE CLASS 3 (FFP3) RESPIRATORS
IRAS ID
284992
Contact name
Abhijoy Chakladar
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Brighton & Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 3 months, 31 days
Research summary
NHS and Public Health England (PHE) guidance mandates filtering face piece class 3 (FFP3) respirators wherever patients with COVID-19 patients are treated. This means healthcare professionals spend long periods wearing respirators; they frequently report symptoms such as headaches, drowsiness and reduced hearing.\n\nOne potential explanation for this may high levels of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the blood, known as hypercarbia, caused by the effects of breathing in CO2 trapped in the FFP3 respirator. Although they are not supposed to raise blood CO2 levels, we think that high levels of CO2 rebreathing may occur with prolonged use of these respirators.\n\nWhilst it is important to where protective equipment, it is recognised that there may be side effects that may reduce people performance at work. Reduced performance may reduce the ability of theatre teams to respond to emergency events. In particular, we are concerned about the potential impact on decision making and mental processing in high risk clinical environments. \n\nThe primary aim of this study is to establish whether CO2 levels change when FFP3 masks are worn in isolation or as part of the ‘full’ personal protective equipment (PPE) recommended for higher risk areas. A subset of volunteers will repeat the study with additional PPE. Secondary aims include the prevalence of symptoms associated with prolonged respirator wearing and their impact on performance. We will record: serial blood CO2 levels, symptoms associated with high blood CO2 concentrations, and measure response time, fatigue and mental processing. The study will try to find out the extent to which this is a problem and help establish impacts on the health and safety of staff and their ability to provide safe care. This research may help rostering, how we organise breaks, book operations and staff theatres. It may also be informative in respirator selection for different settings.
REC name
N/A
REC reference
N/A