How to choose a high-performance filter during the COVID-19 pandemic?

Since the outbreak of the new crown in early 2020, more than 100 million people have been diagnosed globally and more than 3 million people have lost their lives. The global crisis triggered by covld-19 has penetrated into all aspects of our medical system. In order to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus to patients, medical staff, equipment and the environment, we mainly rely on two important filtration systems: loop filters and masks when using artificial respiration systems in operating rooms and/or intensive care units(ICU) Respirator.

However, there are many types of breathing filters on the market.When discussing the level of filtration efficiency of different manufacturers. are their standards the same? During the COVID-19 epidemic, how to choose a high-performance breathing filter?

Clinicians should understand the specifications of the respiratory pathway filter. These can be found from the manufacturer's website or hotline, product literature, online and journal articles. Important parameters include:

● Bacteria and virus filtration efficiency(%-the higher the better)

● NaCl or salt filtration efficiency(%-the higher the better)

● Air resistance (pressure drop at a given air velocity(unit:Pa or cmH2O, unit:L/min) the lower the better)

It should be noted that when the filter is under humid conditions, will its previous parameters (for example, filtration efficiency and gas resistance) be affected or changed?

● Internal volume(the lower the better)

● Humidification performance (moisture loss,mgH2O/L air-the lower the better), or (moisture output mgH2O/L air, the higher the better).

The heat and moisture exchange(HME) equipment itself has no filtering performance. HMEF adopts electrostatic membrane or pleated mechanical filter membrane with heat and moisture exchange function and filtering performance. It should be noted that HMEF can only effectively perform the heat and moisture exchange function when it is close to the airway and in the position of the two-way airflow. They retain water during exhalation and release water during inhalation.

Hisern Medical’s Disposable breathing filters have the testing report issued by the Nelson Labs from the United States, and it protects patients and medical staff from air and liquid-borne microbial pathogens. Nelson Labs is a clear leader in the microbiology testing industry, offering more than 700 laboratory tests and employing more than 700 scientists and staff in state-of-the-art facilities. They are known for exceptional quality and rigorous testing standards.