Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness • May 2020
Kou M, Donoghue AJ, Stacks H, Kochman A, Semiao M, Nash M, Siegel D, Ku L, Debski J, Chen J-Y, Sharma G, Gosnell L, Krug S, Adler MD
This study examined the effects of personal protective equipment (PPE) on the ability of prehospital providers (PHPs) to perform resuscitation procedures on pediatric patients. This prospective study was conducted at a US simulation center. Paramedics wore normal attire at the baseline session and donned full Level B PPE for the second session. PPE did not have a significant impact on PHPs performing critical tasks while caring for a pediatric patient with a highly infectious or chemical exposure. This information may guide PHPs faced with the situation of resuscitating children while wearing Level B PPE.