Humans ; Protective Clothing

Decontamination ; Disinfection ; Manikins ; Protective Clothing ; Personal Protective Equipment ; Health Personnel

OBJECTIVETo analyze the capacity of personal protection on poison emergency items in Chinese disease control and prevention institutes.

METHODSEvaluation analysis based on data obtained from investigating personal protection equipments and professional knowledge quizzing about personal protection in poisoning control of 57 different level centers for disease control and prevention selected from China by a multi-stage stratified sampling.

RESULTSAll 80.70% of the institutes possessed the protection equipments, provincial, municipal, county level institutes were 100.00%, 95.24%, 66.67%, respectively, with significant statistical difference (H = 7.94, P < 0.05). The average level of the type of individual protective equipments in disease control and prevention institutes was (5.42 +/- 4.00) kinds, the average points in category of provincial, municipal, county level institutes were (11.33 +/- 3.67), (6.52 +/- 3.16), (3.47 +/- 3.10) kinds, being statistically significant (F = 17.30, P < 0.05); type difference counts of disease control and prevention institutes in economic development, secondary, less-developed regions were (6.41 +/- 4.03), (3.55 +/- 3.35), (6.45 +/- 4.07) kinds, with statistical significance (F = 3.70, P < 0.05). Protection equipments chiefly possessed were latex gloves, gauze masks and C-protective clothing. Protective clothing and respiratory protective equipments were insufficient evidently. The average points in testing personal protection basic knowledge were (71.39 +/- 12.52) points; there were no differences between different institutes with different economic regions, levels, technical posts and title degrees.

CONCLUSIONCertain advances have been achieved in recent years in personal protection capacity of institutes for disease control and prevention, but far from the actual demands, and maybe no enough effective response on emergency occurred.

BACKGROUND: Wearing a long-sleeved shirt and tucking the pants legs into the socks is recommended to prevent scrub typhus. This study investigated associations between the location of eschar and the type of clothes and shoes to evaluate the efficacy of these protective measures. MATERIALS AND METHODS: One-hundred and fifty nine patients in whom scrub typhus was confirmed or suspected based on the typical clinical manifestations, presence of eschar, or positive results of serologic tests at 6 Korean hospitals from October to December 2005 were included in this study. We collected the information on the location of eschar, presumed exposure date to chiggers, and the clothes and shoes which they had worn. RESULTS: Serologic tests were positive in 99 patients. Eschars were observed in 142 patients and 6 of them exhibited more than 2 eschars. Eighty-two (60.3%) of 136 patients with a single eschar had an eschar on the lower half of the body. Of the 44 patients whose exposure date could be estimated, and who had only a single eschar, 5 of the 17 patients with eschars in the lower half of their bodies, and none of the 27 patients with eschars in the upper half of their bodies went barefoot or wore open footware (P=0.006). Only 4 patients tucked the pants into their socks, and an eschar was found in the lower half in one patient, and in the upper half of the body in the other 3 patients. Of 42 patients who wore long-sleeved shirts, eschars were found in their lower bodies in 16, and on their upper bodies in 26 (P=1.00). CONCLUSION: When the feet were not protected properly with shoes, eschars were found more frequently on the lower half of the body than on the upper half. Wearing a long-sleeved shirt or tucking the pants legs into the socks was not found to be significantly correlated to the location of eschars. Further studies involving larger samples are necessary for the development of practical guidelines of protective measures to prevent scrub typhus.
Clothing* ; Foot ; Humans ; Leg ; Orientia tsutsugamushi ; Protective Clothing ; Scrub Typhus* ; Serologic Tests ; Shoes ; Trombiculidae

BACKGROUND: Wearing a long-sleeved shirt and tucking the pants legs into the socks is recommended to prevent scrub typhus. This study investigated associations between the location of eschar and the type of clothes and shoes to evaluate the efficacy of these protective measures. MATERIALS AND METHODS: One-hundred and fifty nine patients in whom scrub typhus was confirmed or suspected based on the typical clinical manifestations, presence of eschar, or positive results of serologic tests at 6 Korean hospitals from October to December 2005 were included in this study. We collected the information on the location of eschar, presumed exposure date to chiggers, and the clothes and shoes which they had worn. RESULTS: Serologic tests were positive in 99 patients. Eschars were observed in 142 patients and 6 of them exhibited more than 2 eschars. Eighty-two (60.3%) of 136 patients with a single eschar had an eschar on the lower half of the body. Of the 44 patients whose exposure date could be estimated, and who had only a single eschar, 5 of the 17 patients with eschars in the lower half of their bodies, and none of the 27 patients with eschars in the upper half of their bodies went barefoot or wore open footware (P=0.006). Only 4 patients tucked the pants into their socks, and an eschar was found in the lower half in one patient, and in the upper half of the body in the other 3 patients. Of 42 patients who wore long-sleeved shirts, eschars were found in their lower bodies in 16, and on their upper bodies in 26 (P=1.00). CONCLUSION: When the feet were not protected properly with shoes, eschars were found more frequently on the lower half of the body than on the upper half. Wearing a long-sleeved shirt or tucking the pants legs into the socks was not found to be significantly correlated to the location of eschars. Further studies involving larger samples are necessary for the development of practical guidelines of protective measures to prevent scrub typhus.
Clothing* ; Foot ; Humans ; Leg ; Orientia tsutsugamushi ; Protective Clothing ; Scrub Typhus* ; Serologic Tests ; Shoes ; Trombiculidae

Accidents ; Disasters ; Humans ; Protective Clothing ; Protective Devices ; Rescue Work ; organization & administration

FeCl₂ is often used in stainless steel surface processing, wastewater treatment, or in laboratories. Effects of exposure to FeCl₂ include predominantly systemic side effects that can occur when inhalation or oral intake occurs. However, it is known that skin irritation or burning can be caused by exposure to skin, but there has never been reported a case of deep FeCl₂ burns. We will introduce a case of a patient treated with deep second degree burn due to FeCl₂ exposure. A 27-year-old healthy man came in contact with FeCl₂ on his right wrist. The patient didn't wear any protective clothing, and the clothes were contaminated with FeCl₂ about one hour ago, but the patient was not aware of the danger of exposure. After an hour, the patient felt tingling, so he took off his exposed clothes and washed exposed skin, then came to our hospital. Initially there were mild erosion, erythema, and tingling symptoms. Two days later, eschar began to develop and wound began to deepen. Surgical procedure was not performed and it took 5 weeks for the patient's wound to heal. As a rule, workers using FeCl₂ are required to wear protective clothing. In Korea, companies and laboratories using FeCl₂ are not strictly required the use of protective clothing. Workers handling FeCl₂ should be strictly encouraged to wear protective clothing, if exposed, should be instructed to visit the hospital after a quick washing away.
Adult ; Burns* ; Burns, Chemical ; Clothing ; Erythema ; Humans ; Inhalation ; Korea ; Protective Clothing ; Skin ; Stainless Steel ; Waste Water* ; Wounds and Injuries ; Wrist

PURPOSE: Fire suits are very important protective equipment for firefighters. In fire scene, radiant heat and warmed water invade into conventional protective clothing gap. The safety of firefighters has long been a hot topic in Korea. Nevertheless, there are still lack of researches and investigations for safety of firefighters. We revealed the characteristics of the burn site and the hospitalization of injured firefighters according to the wearing of the conventional and special protective clothing. METHODS: This study analyzed the data obtained from the online survey (ko.surveymonkey.com) from September 19, 2016 to October 21, 2016 for nationwide firefighters who are cooperating with the National Security Agency. 4,891 firefighters responded to the questionnaire and 424 burn victims were reported. The analysis was conducted with 322 except 102 incomplete responders. The obtained data was analyzed with Chi-square test (P<0.05). RESULTS: The most common site of burn injury during firefighting was hand 166 (51.6%) followed by face 79 (24.5%), neck 55 (17.1%) and wrist 49 (15.2%). The number of people wearing conventional protective clothing was 81 (25.2%) and the number of people wearing special protective clothing was 20 (6.2%). The number of people wearing protective gloves was 247 (76.7%). In terms of protective clothing in injured firefighters, special protective clothing showed lower hospitalization rate comparing with conventional protective clothing (24.7% vs. 5.0%, P<0.05). CONCLUSION: The most common site of burn injury in Firefighters is hand. The special protective clothing showed lower hospitalization rate comparing with conventional protective clothing.
Burns* ; Firefighters* ; Fires ; Gloves, Protective ; Hand ; Hospitalization* ; Hot Temperature ; Human Body* ; Humans ; Korea ; Neck ; Protective Clothing* ; Security Measures ; Water ; Wrist

PURPOSE: Personal protection equipment (PPE) is compulsory for the safety of physicians and patients in the presence of biological hazards. In particular, such equipment is required for airway management of patients with highly contagious respiratory diseases. However, there are only a few studies about the effect of PPE on airway management with various advanced airway devices including the newly developed video-laryngoscope. We conducted a study on the effect of PPE level C on airway management with five different types of advanced airway devices including the laryngeal mask airway (LMA), direct laryngoscope (DL), airwayscope (AWS), video-laryngoscope made by Stortz (DCI), and the Levitanscope (LE). METHODS: Twenty-two emergency physician and residents in two emergency centers were trained to do trials with PPE and without PPE while performing airway management with five different airway devices. The procedures were done on two types of manikins. We compared the time from the start of the procedure to the first successful ventilation for each device and for each type of manikin. A short questionnaire was used to examine participants' subjective experiences. RESULTS: For both types of manikin, there were no significant differences in performance time between the group not wearing PPE and the PPE wearing group for any device. However, when compared with the other devices, the performance time for the LMA was faster than the other devices, and the Levitanscope(R) took a significantly longer time in both groups. According to the questionnaires, the most comfortable & uncomfortable airway devices were the LMA and the Levitanscope(R). CONCLUSION: When PPE level C was compared with the no protection state, there were no significant statistical time differences for performing advanced airway management with any particular airway device.
Airway Management ; Biohazard Release ; Emergencies ; Humans ; Laryngeal Masks ; Laryngoscopes ; Manikins ; Protective Clothing ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Ventilation

BACKGROUND: Recommendations have been proposed for minimum aerobic fitness among firefighters but it is unclear if those criteria relate to performance on the fireground. Less fit individuals fatigue more quickly than fit individuals when working at comparable intensity and may have gait changes, increasing risk of falls. We evaluated the effect of fatigue during a live burn evolution on gait parameters and functional balance comparing them to aerobic fitness levels. METHODS: A total of 24 firefighters had gait and balance tested before and after a live burn evolution. Data were stratified by aerobic fitness of greater/less than 14 metabolic equivalents (METs). RESULTS: Analysis of gait cycles measurements before and after the live burn evolution revealed that single leg stance, cycle, and swing time decreased (p < 0.05) but there were no differences in the other measures. There were no differences in time to complete the functional balance test, or errors committed before or after a live burn evolution. When firefighters were sorted by fitness level of 14 METs, there were no differences for errors or time before or after the live burn evolution. Balance data were analyzed using a linear regression. Individuals with lower fitness levels required more time to complete the test. CONCLUSION: A 14-MET criterion failed to distinguish gait or balance characteristics in this group. However, less fit firefighters did require more time to complete the balance test (p = 0.003). Aerobic fitness alone does not predict gait changes among firefighters following a live burn evolution but does appear to influence functional balance.
Accidental Falls ; Burns* ; Fatigue ; Firefighters* ; Gait* ; Humans ; Leg ; Linear Models ; Metabolic Equivalent ; Protective Clothing