Protective gear is ‘claustrophobic’, says ICU doctor

A DOCTOR in an Irish intensive care unit (ICU) has spoken about the harsh reality of spending the day in personal protective equipment (PPE).

Doctors and nurses are currently wearing PPE to protect themselves from being exposed to coronavirus.

This involves a hazmat suit, ‘tight-fitting’ full face masks, gloves and goggles.

Speaking to Newstalk Breakfast, Dr Suzanne Crowe of Crumlin Childen’s Hospital, explained that healthcare workers often feel ‘dizzy’ after spending time in the ‘claustrophobic’ suits.

‘Each time you’re in contact with somebody with the infection, you’re now fully contaminated so you have to take it all off very carefully so you don’t contaminate yourself and so you don’t wear the same gear into another patient,’ she explained.

‘Staff have a buddy system to help us put on the gear, so you have someone who is trained and understands it to ensure you’re adequately covered.

‘You have a buddy to make sure you take off the gear correctly. Each piece of equipment that you take off, you have to wash your hands in between because you have taken off something that’s dirty.’

She described taking the equipment off as a ‘laborious process’.

‘They all experience these feelings of feeling dizzy, claustrophobic – it’s very hot to work in. Your hearing is quite reduced as well because of all these things around your head so it’s quite difficult to communicate with the patients and your team-mates.’

Doctors around the country have appealed to people to send PPE to Irish hospitals to help during this global health crisis.

Over 13 years’ worth of PPE will be delivered to Ireland this weekend from China.