Clinical Efficacy of Novel Patient-Covering Negative-Pressure Box for Shielding Virus Transmission during Esophagogastroduodenoscopy: A Prospective Observational Study
Shintaro Fujihara,
Hideki Kobara,
Noriko Nishiyama,
Naoya Tada,
Kazuhiro Kozuka,
Takanori Matsui,
Taiga Chiyo,
Nobuya Kobayashi,
Tingting Shi,
Tatsuo Yachida,
Toshio Uchida,
Taichi Nagatomi,
Haruo Oba,
Tsutomu Masaki
Affiliations
Shintaro Fujihara
Department of Gastroenterology and Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, Kagawa University, Kagawa 761-0793, Japan
Hideki Kobara
Department of Gastroenterology and Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, Kagawa University, Kagawa 761-0793, Japan
Noriko Nishiyama
Department of Gastroenterology and Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, Kagawa University, Kagawa 761-0793, Japan
Naoya Tada
Department of Gastroenterology and Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, Kagawa University, Kagawa 761-0793, Japan
Kazuhiro Kozuka
Department of Gastroenterology and Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, Kagawa University, Kagawa 761-0793, Japan
Takanori Matsui
Department of Gastroenterology and Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, Kagawa University, Kagawa 761-0793, Japan
Taiga Chiyo
Department of Gastroenterology and Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, Kagawa University, Kagawa 761-0793, Japan
Nobuya Kobayashi
Department of Gastroenterology and Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, Kagawa University, Kagawa 761-0793, Japan
Tingting Shi
Department of Gastroenterology and Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, Kagawa University, Kagawa 761-0793, Japan
Tatsuo Yachida
Department of Gastroenterology and Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, Kagawa University, Kagawa 761-0793, Japan
Toshio Uchida
Center for Industrial-Academic Partnership and Intellectual Property, Kagawa University, Kagawa 760-8521, Japan
Taichi Nagatomi
Center for Industrial-Academic Partnership and Intellectual Property, Kagawa University, Kagawa 760-8521, Japan
Haruo Oba
Department of Engineering and Design, Kagawa University, Kagawa 760-8521, Japan
Tsutomu Masaki
Department of Gastroenterology and Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, Kagawa University, Kagawa 761-0793, Japan
Esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) has a high risk of virus transmission during the current coronavirus disease 2019 era, and preventive measures are under investigation. We investigated the effectiveness of a newly developed patient-covering negative-pressure box system (Endo barrier®) (EB) for EGD. Eighty consecutive unsedated patients who underwent screening EGD with EB use were prospectively enrolled. To examine the aerosol ratio before, during, and after EGD, 0.3- and 0.5-μm aerosols were measured every 60 s using an optical counter. Moreover, the degree of contamination of the examiners’ goggles and vinyl gowns was assessed before and after EGD using a rapid adenosine triphosphate (ATP) test for simulated droplets. Data were available in 73 patients and showed that 0.3- and 0.5-μm particles did not increase in 95.8% (70/73) and 94.5% (69/73) of patients during EGD under EB. There were no significant differences in the total 0.3- or 0.5-μm particle counts before versus after EGD. The difference in the ATP levels before and after EGD was −0.6 ± 16.6 relative light units (RLU) on goggles and 1.59 ± 19.9 RLU on gowns (both within the cutoff value). EB use during EGD may provide a certain preventive effect against aerosols and droplets, decreasing examiners’ exposure to viruses.
