N95 contamination during aerosol-generating procedures
This study is designed to assess the efficacy of face shields at protecting N95s from SARS-CoV-2 contamination during aerosol-generating procedures on COVID-19 positive patients. This is of interest since many healthcare facilities were forced to reuse N95s during shortages during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ambulance Contamination
In association with Duke Medical Student Diego Schaps, this project aims to examine the contamination risks of patients en route to Duke Hospital due to environmental contaminants found in ambulances, in order to identify potential sources of infection within the ambulance and target these areas for more effective sterilization.
Oxivir residue’s potential disinfection efficacy against SARS-CoV-2
During other studies, it was noted that oxivir wipes leave behind a thick white film on disinfected surfaces in COVID-19 positive patient rooms if not subsequently wiped with an ethanol-based product. As environmental surface contamination was low for SARS-CoV-2 the idea of this film’s potential disinfective properties came to mind. As a result, this experimental lab study aims to describe this disinfection efficacy on formica sheets inoculated with SARS-CoV-2 of a known concentration.
Time to CRE sink colonization in a new patient care bed tower
Hospital sinks are commonly contaminated and subsequently colonized with CRE serving as infectious reservoirs for patients. This study was designed to test for time to CRE contamination of in-room patient sinks in a new patient care bed tower to inform future infection prevention strategies.
CDC Broad Agency Announcement Award: Optimization of detection and monitoring of environmental fungal contamination to establish baseline contamination rates
The objectives of this project are: (1) to identify optimized methods for the detection of fungal contamination; (2) to evaluate fungal environmental contamination of healthcare settings using optimized methods from objective 1; and (3) to establish baseline levels of fungal contamination in acute healthcare settings in three bed towers of differing ages.
Measuring the efficacy of the PURitALL disinfection cabinet on frequently used physical therapy treatment equipment
The objectives of this project are: (1) to determine the effectiveness of the PURitALL device on difficult to disinfect physical therapy equipment in a “real world” hospital environment compared to routine disinfection