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Updated: Dec 11, 2025

Safety Precautions and Operating Procedures in an ABSL-4 Laboratory: 3. Aerobiology
Published on: October 3, 2016
Non-exposure procedure to aerosols during a tracheostomy under biosafety isolation in SARS CoV-2
Francisco Javier Mancilla Mejía1, Laura Serrano Salinas1, Abraham Hernández Mundo1
1Department of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Centro Médico Naval, SEMAR, Mexico City, Mexico.
Abstract:
A tracheostomy performed on patients infected with SARS CoV-2 is one of the procedures with the highest risks of aerosolization. Safety recommendations for carrying out this procedure are not suitable for implementation in every hospital. Despite the use of Personal Protection Equipment, the suit leaves the submental area unprotected, and even the face mask may not provide a full seal. The use of additional biosafety isolation equipment increases safety, thus preventing exposure to infecting particles and allowing the surgeon to perform the technique with the use of the available equipment; it reduces the risks of further trans-surgical complications and increases the possibilities of handling them in case they arise.
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