A closer look at 'aerosol-generating' procedures

AERATOR: a study from the Bristol Academic Respiratory Unit. Comic by Ciléin Kearns (artibiotics). Droplets land on surfaces quickly due to their weight, but aerosols can hang around in the air for minutes to hours

This has led to extra infection control measures, and delaying or avoiding procedures and investigations to reduce the risk of generating aerosols that could spread COVID-19

This takes extra time, and can lead to longer waiting times and reduced access to healthcare generally

Many hospitals' elective (non-urgent) operating lists and clinic capacity were markedly reduced or suspended entirely in 2020

Using state of the art aerosol measuring equipment, doctors and scientists from the University of Bristol measured the aerosols produced by medical procedures thought to be aerosol generating (AGP's)

A comic overview of the respiratory AERATOR research from the Bristol Academic Respiratory Unit. These studies investigated potentially aerosol-generating medical procedures and interventions to help assess the risk of spreading aerosol-bourne infections like COVID-19. Answering these questions can help infection control guidance and inform need for PPE in healthcare staff.

The scientific publications and further reading about the AERATOR studies can be read in full at the links below.