key: cord-0061731-q0rcipwj
authors: Shekhar, Aditya C.; Lichty, George
title: Testing the Feasibility of Operating a Helicopter While Wearing Different Masks
date: 2021-04-05
journal: Air Med J
DOI: 10.1016/j.amj.2021.02.001
sha: 4f50bb4e6b6fd0deea388d0fc13c756b6714f277
doc_id: 61731
cord_uid: q0rcipwj

nan

Letter to the Editor Testing the Feasibility of Operating a Helicopter While Wearing Different Masks Dear Editors:

Emergency medical service agencies at all levels have spent the last year dealing with dramatic changes as a result of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Air medical transport has been no exception. 1 Services have instituted various measures to ensure patients and crews are well protected from in-flight exposures, such as wearing personal protective equipment (PPE). 2 An overwhelming body of evidence suggests that masks and various degrees of PPE can acceptably reduce the risk of contracting COVID-19. Furthermore, all PPE is not created equal; specific types of masks seem to offer more protective effects. 3 Anecdotally, some health care providers and pilots have reported masks contributing to fogged eyeglasses and a reduced ability to perform various job-related tasks; for air medical flight crews, excessively fogged eyeglasses or a reduced ability to perform job-related tasks could be a significant safety concern. There is not much literature on how wearing infection control PPE affects an individual's ability to operate an aircraft.

To understand how wearing various types of masks affects an individual's ability to operate a helicopter, I attempted to fly a helicopter while wearing 5 different types of masks: a cloth mask, a surgical mask, a KN95 mask, an N95 mask, and an elastomeric mask ( Figure 1 ). I specifically wanted to identify if these masks led to fogged eyeglasses or hindered my ability to operate the aircraft. An unmasked pilot was seated next to me and could intervene if necessary.

I was able to maintain control of the helicopter while wearing all types of masks. However, in my testing, specific advantages and disadvantages with the various types of masks became apparent ( Table 1) . None of the masks appreciably hampered my field of vision, but all masks slightly reduced my ability to communicate through the headset to varying degrees. The elastomeric mask (3M, St. Paul, MN) I tested rendered my headset unusable; even while shouting, the microphone was only able to register parts of sentences, and I was not able to safely communicate. With the other masks, I was able to position the microphone receiver close enough for it to register my voice; this allowed me to easily communicate with others in the helicopter and air traffic control. In general, I found masks that wrapped around my head, as opposed to around the ears, felt most secure and comfortable during long intervals and interfered the least with my headset. All masks did increase the incidence of glasses fogging to varying degrees. Placing my glasses over the nose bridge of the mask did reduce this effect, and I found a well-fitted N95 mask and an elastomeric mask were the most effective at reducing fogging, most likely because of the tight fit of the mask regulating the flow of moisture. KN95 masks were slightly less effective, whereas cloth masks and surgical masks allowed air to seep over my glasses. Temperature also seemed to affect my glasses' propensity to fog; on colder lenses, 

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Medical masks vs N95 respirators for preventing COVID-19 in healthcare workers: a systematic review and metaanalysis of randomized trials. Influenza Other Respir Viruses