There's been much discussion about safety protocols for health care workers caring for Ebola patients after the head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Sunday there had been a "breach of protocol" that led to a nurse become infected while treating Thomas Eric Duncan at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas.
The nurse was said to have worn full personal protection equipment while caring for Thomas Eric Duncan, a Liberian man who died Wednesday of Ebola at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital. She doesn't know how she became infected, and officials are investigating to try to find out.
A Parkland Hospital video on YouTube shows the correct procedure to suit up in personal protection equipment as well as how to properly remove the PPE with the assistance of a trained observer who will report any compromises.
All health workers treating an Ebola patient should wear personal protective gear, the CDC says. The exact gear can vary. A hazardous material-type suit usually includes a gown, two sets of gloves, a face mask, and an eye shield. There are strict protocols for how to use it correctly.
[[ 278937751, C]]
In Dallas, the investigation is focusing on two areas: How the garb was removed, and the intensive medical procedures Duncan received, which included kidney dialysis and a breathing machine. Both involve inserting tubes -- into blood vessels or an airway. That raises the risk a health worker will have contact with the patient's bodily fluids, which is how Ebola spreads.
The CDC says training at the Texas hospital has been ramped up. The agency also now recommends the hospital minimize the number of people caring for an Ebola patient, perform only procedures essential to support the patient's care, and name a fulltime infection control supervisor while any Ebola patient is being cared for.
Check out these posters produced by the CDC that detail the sequence of putting on protective gear and taking it off.
