Abstract
Objective To assess visible aerosol generation during simulated vitrectomy surgery. Methods: A model comprising a human cadaveric corneoscleral rim mounted on an artificial anterior chamber was used. Three-port 25 gauge vitrectomy simulated surgery was performed with any visible aerosol production recorded using high speed 4K camera. The following were assessed: (1) vitrector at maximum cut rate in static and dynamic conditions inside the model, (2) vitrector at air-fluid interface in physical model, (3) passive fluid-air exchange with a backflush hand piece, (4) valved cannulas under air, and (5) defective valved cannula under air.
Results No visible aerosol or droplets were identified when the vitrector was used within the model. In the physical model, no visible aerosol or droplets were seen when the vitrector was engaged at the air-fluid interface. Droplets were produced from the opening of backflush hand piece during passive fluid-air exchange. No visible aerosol was produced from the intact valved cannulas under air pressure, but droplets were seen at the beginning of fluid-air exchange when the valved cannula was defective.
Conclusions We found no evidence of visible aerosol generation during simulated vitrectomy surgery with competent valved cannulas. In the physical model, no visible aerosol was generated by the high-speed vitrector despite cutting at the air-fluid interface.
Competing Interest Statement
The authors have declared no competing interest.
Funding Statement
The authors received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
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Bristol Eye Hospital
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Paper in collection COVID-19 SARS-CoV-2 preprints from medRxiv and bioRxiv
The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, the Sergey Brin Family Foundation, California Institute of Technology, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Imperial College London, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University, The University of Edinburgh, University of Washington, and Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.
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