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Characterization of skin lesions associated with the use of personal protective equipment and Staphylococcus aureus infections in health personnel in the fight against Covid-19

Abstract:

The Covid-19 pandemic has marked a paradigm shift in medical care, generating the need for the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) to safeguard health. This has caused secondary skin manifestations associated with their use. A descriptive cross-sectional investigation was carried out with the objective of characterizing the skin lesions associated with the use of PPE and Staphylococcus aureus infections in 283 nurses. The dermatological diagnosis was made by specialists; the bacteriological culture was performed using sterile cotton swabs or apposition smears on the skin lesion. For the isolation of the genus Staphylococcus, the samples were seeded in phenol red mannitol saline agar, incubating for 24 to 48 hours at 37°C. The identification of S. aureus was carried out by the fermentation of mannitol in the selective agar, the positive reaction of the coagulase test. S. aureus was differentiated from coagulase-negative Staphylococcus using the DNase test. LC-EPI was required in 75.618% of the nurses, of which 92.523% presented symptoms suggestive of secondary bacterial infection, fully confirmed by microbiological culture, identifying S. aureus. It was estimated that more than 60% of the LC-EPI were of a single presentation classified as grade I, mainly affecting the regions: orbital, temporal, nasal, infraorbital, and frontal, associated with the use of glasses/face protectors, hats, and masks as causes of the injuries. The definition of LC-EPI prevention protocols is recommended.