Dataset Information

Airborne pathogen projection during ophthalmic examination.

ABSTRACT:

Purpose

Microscale droplets act as coronaviruses (CoV) carriers in the air when released from an infected person and may infect others during close contact such as ophthalmic examination. The main objective of the present work is to demonstrate how CoV deposited droplets are projected during biomicroscopy and to discuss what kind of precautions should be taken in ophthalmic practice.

Methods

A coupled fluid-structure system comprising smoothed particle hydrodynamics and the finite element method has been built to assess the projection of droplets spreading from an infected person. Different conditions based on the maximum exit flow velocity from the infector's mouth during the ophthalmic examination were modeled.

Results

During exhalation, for which the exit flow is ~?1000 mm/s, the average horizontal distance of the flow front was ~?200 mm while individual particles can reach up to ~?500 mm. In case of coughing or sneezing (corresponding to an exit flow of ~?12,000 mm/s), the average horizontal distance of the flow front was ~?1300 mm.

Conclusion

During the ophthalmic examination, the proximity to the patient's nose and mouth was observed to be less than the horizontal distance of flow front particles. Even though mounted breath shields are used, particles flew beyond the shield and contaminate the ophthalmologist. Compared with the current protective breath shields, the use of a larger shield with a minimum radius of 18 cm is needed to decrease viral transmission.

SUBMITTER: Bostanci Ceran B

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7315910 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Airborne pathogen projection during ophthalmic examination.

Bostanci Ceran Basak B Karakoç Alp A Taciroğlu Ertuğrul E

Graefe's archive for clinical and experimental ophthalmology = Albrecht von Graefes Archiv fur klinische und experimentelle Ophthalmologie 20200625 10

<h4>Purpose</h4>Microscale droplets act as coronaviruses (CoV) carriers in the air when released from an infected person and may infect others during close contact such as ophthalmic examination. The main objective of the present work is to demonstrate how CoV deposited droplets are projected during biomicroscopy and to discuss what kind of precautions should be taken in ophthalmic practice.<h4>Methods</h4>A coupled fluid-structure system comprising smoothed particle hydrodynamics and the finite ...[more]

PMID: 32588166

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Project description:BackgroundThe high prevalence of ocular manifestations (OMs) in patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and chronic diseases such as diabetes has become a global health issue. However, there is still a lack of an appropriate ophthalmic diagnostic procedure for the early detection of OMs in this population, leading to the risk of an irreversible visual impairment that substantially affects the quality of life of these patients.MethodsThe Guangzhou HIV Infection Study was a retrospective study that enrolled hospitalised HIV-infected patients in Guangzhou between January 2005 and December 2016, period corresponding to the highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) era in China. We collected data on OMs, systemic diseases, hospitalisation, and demographic characteristics. We classified the patients into 3 groups according to the ophthalmic examination mode they underwent: the non-ophthalmologist examination group (patients hospitalised in 2005-2011 who were only treated by infectious disease physicians), the on-demand ophthalmic examination group (patients hospitalised in 2012-2013 who were referred for a consultation with an ophthalmologist), and the routine ophthalmic examination group (patients hospitalised in 2014-2016 who routinely underwent standard ophthalmic examinations). Binary logistic regression models were used to investigate the factors related to OMs.FindingsA total of 8,743 hospitalised HIV-infected patients were enrolled. The prevalence of detected OMs were 1.5% in the non-ophthalmologist examination group, 1.9% in the on-demand ophthalmic examination group, and 12.8% in the routine ophthalmic examination group. The odds of detection of OMs were highest in the routine ophthalmic examination group (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]=9.24, [95%CI, 6.51-13.12], compared to the non-ophthalmologist examination group). The detection of all types of OMs increased substantially, with keratitis, retinitis and vascular abnormalities increased the most (by 15.8-20.0 times). In the routine examination group, patients who were older than 50 years, males, with medical insurance, and were not resident in Guangzhou, had higher odds to have OMs. Several systemic diseases also increased the odds of OMs, with the highest odds among patients with a cytomegalovirus infection (aOR=5.59, [95%CI, 4.12-7.59]). Patients with retinitis, retinopathy and conjunctivitis had higher odds of having a CD4+ T cell counts less than 200 cells/μL compared to the patients that did not have these referred OMs.InterpretationThe implementation of a routine ophthalmic examination has improved the odds of OM detection by approximately 9 times and increased the diagnosis rates of all types of OMs. Therefore, we encourage all HIV-infected patients to undergo regular ophthalmic examinations. Patients with OMs, especially retinopathy and retinitis, need to be evaluated for immune function (such as CD4+ T cell counts) and systemic diseases.

Dataset Information

Airborne pathogen projection during ophthalmic examination.

Purpose

Methods

Results

Conclusion

Publications

Airborne pathogen projection during ophthalmic examination.

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