Study on Using Aerosol Boxes to Protect Healthcare Workers During Cardiopulmonary Arrest Assessing Safety and Effectiveness in Simulated COVID-19 Patient Care

What this Trial Is About

The study focuses on protecting healthcare workers HCWs from infection risks during aerosol-generating medical procedures AGMPs performed on critically ill COVID-19 patients. These procedures include bag-valve-mask ventilation, endotracheal intubation, and cardiopulmonary resuscitation CPR, which can release virus-containing particles into the air. The research aims to evaluate the effectiveness of an aerosol box, a transparent barrier placed over the patients head, in reducing contamination of HCWs during resuscitation while observing its impact on clinical task performance. Participants will be organized into teams including airway providers and CPR providers, who will perform simulated cardiac arrest scenarios either using the aerosol box device or without it. Teams will be trained and randomized to either the intervention group with aerosol box use or the control group without the box. The study includes video-based orientation, practice sessions, and randomized scenario order to assess the effect on CPR quality, intubation timing, airborne particle counts, and contamination. During the study, researchers will monitor team performance with multiple measurements including overall CPR quality, intubation success time, chest compression fraction, particle concentration near the patient, provider contamination area, and provider workload and anxiety. Data will be collected immediately after simulations, and participants will receive debriefing on performance and infection control. The study is designed to improve safety protocols for HCWs during pandemics by providing evidence about aerosol box use in a controlled simulated environment.

Impact of Aerosol Box Use During Cardiopulmonary Arrest: A Multicenter Study