Enhancing the control of respiratory virus spread: a comprehensive approach integrating airborne virus detection, aerological investigations, and airflow modeling for practical implementation.

Objective: Patients with chronic kidney disease suffer from immune dysfunction, increasing susceptibility to infections. The aim of the study was to investigate air contamination with respiratory viruses in a dialysis unit at a quaternary hospital using molecular detection techniques and to analyze airflow dynamics through computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations for a comprehensive assessment of air transmission risks.

Methods: We conducted dialysis unit air sampling using AerosolSense™ samplers.

Modeling of aerosol transmission of airborne pathogens in ICU rooms of COVID-19 patients with acute respiratory failure.

The COVID-19 pandemic has generated many concerns about cross-contamination risks, particularly in hospital settings and Intensive Care Units (ICU). Virus-laden aerosols produced by infected patients can propagate throughout ventilated rooms and put medical personnel entering them at risk. Experimental results found with a schlieren optical method have shown that the air flows generated by a cough and normal breathing were modified by the oxygenation technique used, especially when using High Flow Nasal Canulae, increasing the shedding of potentially infectious airborne particles.