Protection of anesthesia providers from silent carriers of COVID-19 while minimizing disposable PPE utilization

In the absence of near universal, rapid testing, it is paramount that health care workers minimize their risk of exposure, especially during high-risk exposures such as airway management of a patient with unknown COVID-19 status [5,6]. Respiratory Therapist The American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA), Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation (APSF), American Academy of Anesthesiologist Assistants (AAAA) and American Association of Nurse Anesthetists (AANA) have developed recommendations for personal protective equipment (PPE) usage for providers at increased risk of exposure during the COVID-19 pandemic [9]. Evolving understanding of the infectious nature of the COVID virus, incubation time, and potential for asymptomatic spread has solidified the recommendations that all providers involved in high risk encounters – namely aerosol generating procedures (AGP) – should utilize PPE appropriate for this encounter such as N95 and faceshield or Powered Air Purifying Respirators (PAPRs) for all patients when working near the airway [10,11].