Pall Medical against Coronavirus - The four Pillars of Prevention and Protection
Pall Medical offers four particular areas of expertise to help combat the Coronavirus pandemic:
Mechanical Ventilation:
Pall Breathing System Filters, used for ventilated patients, have been extensively documented to have an airborne bacterial and viral removal efficiency of at least 99.999% when tested with Brevundimonas diminuta and MS2 Bacteriophage. Coronavirus species have a single stranded RNA and their size ranges from 120 nm to 160 nm which is considerably larger than the 27 nm MS2 Bacteriophage. Bacterial and viral removal efficiency has also been demonstrated with human pathogens such as Influenza A virus1 (H1N1, size range 80 – 120 nm), and Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Based on the testing carried out with MS2 Bacteriophage and Influenza A virus Pall Breathing System Filters can be expected to remove SARS-CoV-2 with a high efficiency.
Membrane and Media:
Pall has a wide range of membranes and media suitable for use by Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) when developing and manufacturing diagnostic tests, including those used in the current coronavirus crisis. Pall understands that the world of medical diagnostics gets more complicated every day, especially during these trying times. We know that you’re counting on our team to provide you with quality products, so that you can provide your patients with insight and resolution.
Water Filtration:
Water stagnation is an important contributing factor to microbial growth within pipe systems. The current crisis has led to buildings being shut for long periods of time, increasing the risk of Legionella and other waterborne pathogen contaminations. In these situations, the short-term installation of Pall Point-of-Use Water Filters can provide an immediate and efficient physical barrier against waterborne bacteria and fungi.
Drug Delivery:
Intensive care patients usually receive a multitude of intravenous (IV) infusions that, without in-line filters, can infuse a huge number of particles per day2,3. Coronavirus primarily targets the lungs and infused particles have also been shown to reach the lungs4 and therefore they may pose a major threat. Pall in-line Filters have been shown to efficiently reduce the particle load5 and clinical studies have demonstrated that in-line filtration has potential benefits in preservation of organ systems6,7 and can significantly reduce the length of stay on the ICU and the duration of mechanical ventilation8.
Together, these four pillars can make a huge difference in preventing the spread of coronavirus and other pathogens and protecting people’s lives everywhere.
1. Heuer et al (2013); GMS Hyg Infect Control 8(1):Doc09 Inckude references for Drug Delivery and Breathing as on the summary slides
2. Perez, M. et al. (2017). Dynamic Image Analysis To Evaluate Subvisible Particles During Continuous Drug Infusion In a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Scientific Reports, 7 (9404), 1-8
3. Benlabed, M. et al. (2018). Analysis of particulate exposure during continuous drug infusion in critically ill adult patients: a preliminary proof-of concept in vitro study. Intensive Care Medicine Experimental, 6 (38), 1-9
4. Puntis J.W.L. et al. (1992) Hazards of parenteral treatment: do particles count? Archives of Disease in Childhood 1992;67:1475-1477
5. Perez, M. et al. (2018). Effectiveness of in-Line Filters to Completely Remove Particulate Contamination During a Pediatric Multidrug Infusion Protocol. Scientific Reports 8:7714Scientific Reports, 8 (7714), 1-8
6. Boehne, M. et al. (2013). In-line filtration minimizes organ dysfunction: New aspects from a prospective, randomized, controlled trial. BMC Pediatrics, 13 (21), 1-8
7. Schmitt, E. et al. (2019). In-line filtration of intravenous infusion may reduce organ dysfunction of adult critical patients. Critical Care, 23 (373), 1-11
8. Jack, T. et al. (2012). In-line filtration reduces severe complications and length of stay on pediatric intensive care unit: a prospective, randomized, controlled trial. Intensive Care Med, 38, 1008-1016