Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2022 Dec;55(6 Pt 1):1122-1125.
doi: 10.1016/j.jmii.2022.04.002. Epub 2022 Apr 14.

Sensitivity and specificity of heat and moisture exchange filters sampling for SARS-CoV-2 detection in mechanically ventilated COVID-19 patients

Toufik Kamel  1 , Clémence Guillaume  2 , Grégoire Muller  3 , Lekbir Baala  4 , Thierry Boulain  5
Affiliations

Sensitivity and specificity of heat and moisture exchange filters sampling for SARS-CoV-2 detection in mechanically ventilated COVID-19 patients

Toufik Kamel et al. J Microbiol Immunol Infect. 2022 Dec.

Abstract

We assessed the sensitivity and specificity of SARS-CoV-2 detection by polymerase chain reaction in heat and moisture exchange filters (HMEF) in mechanically ventilated COVID-19 patients. We showed that testing HMEF might obviate the need for a tracheal sample to affirm that a patient is not ready to end isolation.

Keywords: Heat and moisture exchange filters; Intensive care; Isolation; Mechanical ventilation; RT-PCR; SARS-CoV-2.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of competing interest All authors report no conflicts of interest relevant to this article.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Title: Bland–Altman plot comparing the Cycle threshold value obtained on the HMEF and the tracheal samples. Legend: Ct, cycle threshold; HMEF, heat and moisture exchange filter; LOA, limits of agreement.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Imbriaco G., Monesi A. Closed tracheal suctioning systems in the era of COVID-19: is it time to consider them as a gold standard? J Infect Prev. 2021;22:44–45. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Tran K., Cimon K., Severn M., Pessoa-Silva C.L., Conly J. Aerosol generating procedures and risk of transmission of acute respiratory infections to healthcare workers: a systematic review. PLoS One. 2012;7 - PMC - PubMed
    1. Morán I., Bellapart J., Vari A., Mancebo J. Heat and moisture exchangers and heated humidifiers in acute lung injury/acute respiratory distress syndrome patients. Effects on respiratory mechanics and gas exchange. Intensive Care Med. 2006;32:524–531. - PubMed
    1. Bastarache J.A., McNeil J.B., Plosa E.J., Sucre J.S., Kerchberger V.E., Habegger L.E., et al. Standardization of methods for sampling the distal airspace in mechanically ventilated patients using heat moisture exchange filter fluid. Am J Physiol Lung Cell Mol Physiol. 2021;320:L785–L790. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Isaacs R.J., Debelak K., Norris P.R., Jenkins J.M., Rooks J.C., Young T.R., et al. Non-invasive detection of pulmonary pathogens in ventilator-circuit filters by PCR. Am J Transl Res. 2012;4:72–82. - PMC - PubMed