What is the difference between surgical masks and general medical masks?
In addition to the high hygienic requirements, medical protective masks should also have the function of effectively blocking liquid splashes. Due to the possibility of splashing blood or infectious body fluids during surgery, such splashing has a certain pressure, which is not a general liquid infiltration. The ability of the mask material to block pressurized liquid should be relatively high. Only in this way can it be effective Protect medical personnel. Therefore, in the standard of medical protective masks, special detection methods are used to test the liquid barrier properties of these products, and the protective masks used in general industrial environments do not need to have such special requirements, and naturally there is no such in the detection standard. Such regulations. In addition, medical protective masks are not allowed to have an exhalation valve. This is because when the medical protective mask is allowed to be used as a surgical mask, if a mask with an exhalation valve is worn, the microorganisms carried in the exhalation will be directly discharged out of the mask, posing a threat to the patient undergoing surgery. Many industrial protective masks have an exhalation valve design.
Commonly used masks are generally divided into three categories: cotton yarn masks, surgical masks, and N95 masks. Their characteristics are:
Cotton yarn mask: It can prevent some viruses from invading, but it has poor adhesion to human face and low anti-virus efficiency.
Surgical mask: divided into 3 layers, the outer layer blocks water, the middle layer blocks 5μm particles in the air> 90%, and the inner layer absorbs moisture.
N95 mask: N95 is certified by the American Occupational Safety and Health Institute. N refers to non-oily particulate matter, 95 refers to the filtration rate of 95% under the standard test conditions, and has good adhesion.
Selection principle:
General medical activities can wear gauze masks or disposable surgical masks.
Surgical masks should be worn when working in the operating room or caring for patients with low immune function and when performing body cavity puncture.
When contacting patients with respiratory tract infection transmitted by air and droplets, wear medical protective masks or N95 masks.
