Abdul Salam ZH, Karlin RB, Ling ML et al. Am J Infect Control 2010;38:e1–7.
The use of high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters is one of the primary means of reducing the risk of developing fungal infections among high-risk patients. In this retrospective study, the authors demonstrated that portable HEPA filters are effective in reducing the incidence of invasive aspergillosis.
Advances in medicine have led to an increase in the number of patients at high risk of developing invasive aspergillosis (IA). It has been proven that reducing patients’ environmental exposure to airborne conidia via the use of high-efficiency particulate air(HEPA) filters significantly lowers their risk of developing IA [1,2]. The majority of clinical experience in this area has been with the use of fixed HEPA filters. Portable HEPA filters have demonstrated the ability to reduce airborne Aspergillus spore levels; however, the impact of these devices on the incidence of IA has not been studied.