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Wearing a face mask that does not have a fluid-resistance rating may leave you inadequately protected whilst performing procedures that generate splashes or sprays of blood, body fluids, secretions or excretions.

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Did you know that the concentration of viruses circulated in the blood can reach up to 10,000 viruses/ml for HIV, 1 million/ml for Hepatitis C, and up to 10 trillion/ml for Hepatitis B?¹ What is particularly worrisome is that a clinical trial confirms that these potentially contaminated blood drops strike the head and neck of operating theatre staff more than 25% of the time during surgery.²
Further, a clinical study confirms that more than 90% of the time, surgeons, who are focused on their patients, are unaware that they have been struck by contaminated fluids.³ This fact alone underscores the importance of surgeons having access to the right mask to protect themselves.
How can you be sure you鈥檙e getting the protection you need?
To make it easier to select the right level of mask protection, the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) International and the U.S Food and Drug Administration (FDA) developed mask labelling based on test performance criteria. Within the ASTM International Standard, there are 3 categories of protection, with Level 1 representing the lowest level of protection and Level 3 representing the highest level. For fluid resistance, masks are required to withstand a pressure of 80 mmHg in order to meet the Level 1 criteria, 120 mmHg to meet the Level 2 criteria and 160 mmHg to achieve a Level 3 rating.
The ASTM International Standard requires that face mask packaging has a graphic display that clearly states the mask鈥檚 performance level. Masks that do not have this graphic display cannot be assumed to be fluid-resistant.
Put safety first
Halyard Health (formerly Kimberly-Clark Health Care) makes it easy for you to put safety first. Halyard has a full range of fluid-resistant procedure and surgical masks that meet and in some cases exceed the ASTM International Standard. All Halyard鈥檚 mask packaging are clearly labelled with the level of protection (Level 1, 2 or 3) according to the ASTM International Standard. This simplifies the process of mask selection and will help you make sure you are appropriately protected for the fluid risk that may be present.
References
1 Bennet BT 1994 American College of Surgeons 178 (2): 49
2 AORN 2011 Perioperative Standards and Recommended Practices; Romney Surgical face masks in the operating theatre: reexamining the evidence 2000; 254
3 Hosogly, Salih, et al.. Transmission of hepatitis C by blood splash into conjunctiva in a nurse 2003;503
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