How do people wearing the ebola protective clothing get

[Raven]

that last pair of gloves off? I think I understand everything else about the disrobing procedure except that.

[pipoman]

1. with your right hand

You pinch the glove near the heel of the left hand, then extract the left hand leaving the glove pinched in the right hand mostly inside out. Then with the left hand you insert your index finger under the wrist band of the right glove and remove the right hand while pulling forward with the left hand encasing the left glove in the right glove. Done carefully there is no contact with the outside of either glove. I do this many times each day and can do it in my sleep...

[TorchTheWitch]

3. the PPE protocol for caregivers was to take off their gloves first

Then remove the PPE bare handed. Then wash their hands ("wash" their hands - not disinfect them with a chlorine solution). There was no disinfection protocol even for the gloves before removing the PPE.

[sharp_stick]

8. Where did you see that?

I've worked in level 3 labs with Yersinia pestis (plague) for ages in grad school and that protocol would never fly in there.

You double glove and take off the first pair of gloves first, spray the second pair of gloves with a disinfectant, then you remove your PPP with the second pair of gloves still in place, removing them last and you wash your hands with a disinfecting soap, not a chlorine solution.

[TorchTheWitch]

10. CDC protocol

Might have been from their powerpoint.

What difference does it make when the CDC's PPE protocol was woefully inadequate so much so that many other hospitals discarded it and used protocols from Emory and NIH, and that Frieden himself went to West Africa and wore a complete hazmat suit just to TALK to Ebola patients yet gives CAREGIVERS woefully inadequate protocol that did not cover their heads and much of their faces nor their feet, nor called for disinfection before removing the PPE?...
http://news.yahoo.com/cdc-rethinking-ebola-guidelines-after-criticism-they-left-nurses-unprotected-190206817.html

[sharp_stick]

11. That's ridiculous

and will probably at the very least lead to a few lawsuits, I hope it doesn't wind up killing anybody.

[TorchTheWitch]

12. Oh, I have no doubt

Once this is all over with there's going to be some epic settlements.

[WinkyDink]

5. "Then with the left hand you insert your index finger under the wrist band of the right glove...."

And what exactly makes you think that the underside of that wristband would be uncontaminated?

You may do this a million times and in your sleep, but you've yet to do it after being near an Ebola patient.

BTW: WHERE is this done? While standing directly over a disposal unit?

[sharp_stick]

9. You're going to be double gloved

Last edited Fri Oct 17, 2014, 10:27 AM - Edit history (1)

the index finger comes in contact only with the taped glove under the top glove, and yes you are standing right above the waste container while you do it.

On Edit: Of course this only works if the person is double gloved. Our protocol, if for some reason you managed to contaminate yourself while single gloved, was to disinfect, with the proper stuff, the gloves thoroughly (usually meaning leaving the disinfectant in contact with the gloves for 5 or 6 minutes), then rinsing with water and drying with ethanol before very carefully removing the gloves while holding a dry sterile wipe. Then you had to explain to the safety guys why you were only single gloved.

[TorchTheWitch]

2. that's why they should be disinfecting first

That's what Doctors Without Borders has been doing. They spray a chlorine solution all over the person before they remove their gear. They also spray the bottom of the boots, the floor and walls of the area that the person just stepped out of to make sure that nothing on the person can get tracked around.

I just posted an article in GD about the CDC revising PPE protocols that included information that even with all that 10% of the time caregivers become infected. The CDC's protocol was that only one pair of gloves was worn and that the person without any disinfection then removed their PPE and THEN washed their hands (not disinfected their hands with chlorine solution). It also said that many other hospitals recognized that the PPE protocol given by the CDC was inadequate and used protocols from Emory or NIH. The whole article is really good. My post is here...
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10025678768

Excerpt from the article...

http://news.yahoo.com/cdc-rethinking-ebola-guidelines-after-criticism-they-left-nurses-unprotected-190206817.html
Globally, more than 400 healthcare workers have contracted the virus while treating patients—and 200 of them have died. In the Annals of Internal Medicine, three physicians and infectious disease specialists wrote that the complications around correctly taking off personal protective equipment (PPE) like gloves, gowns and masks spread the infection to these workers. Studies have shown that nurses and physicians contaminate themselves around 10 percent of the time when taking off gloves that have fluid on them. If the nurse or doctor then touched his or her eye, Ebola could spread. The specialists recommend a single person supervise the taking off process every single time a physician or nurse treats an Ebola patient, so that they don’t infect themselves with their own protective equipment.

This is why many of us have been saying that the PPE protocol was inadequate.

That article also mentioned that when Frieden went to West Africa and spoke to Ebola patients he wore a full head to toe hazmat suit, so why was his PPE protocol for caregivers so much less? Frieden wore the appropriate PPE himself though he didn't even come into any direct contact with any Ebola patient! That REALLY pisses me off. Apparently, this came up during the congressional hearing yesterday. The article didn't say how he answered that question though. Asshole does the ultimate to protect HIMSELF just TALKING to Ebola patients yet gives CAREGIVERS far less PPE protocol.

[Turbineguy]

4. I wonder if an ultra-violet lamp would also work?

They could set up a decontamination passage.

[TorchTheWitch]

6. maybe, but I don't think it's as instant kill as chlorine

Ultraviolet light is also not easy on the eyes. I don't think caregivers should have to deal with lots of UV light bothering their eyes, giving them headaches, etc.

I used to work in clubs that have very low level UV lighting. It bothered my eyes on occasion, and some customers hated it so much they couldn't stand to stay in the club for long.

There's also the issue of needing more time under the light to kill higher amounts of virus. Chlorine solution kills it all instantly. It's likely a hell of a lot cheaper, too.

[Turbineguy]

7. Thanks for the info!