In the heart of the COVID-19 pandemic, a crucial message is being shared: handle personal protective equipment (PPE) with extreme caution. Dr. Ryan Seheult, a critical-care physician from California, has posted a six-minute tutorial demonstrating the correct method for hospital staff to remove PPE without contaminating themselves. The video, released on the MedCram YouTube channel on April 8, comes at a time when hospitals globally are facing a shortage of gowns, masks, and face shields, forcing frontline workers to improvise.
The tutorial emphasizes that every surface worn within a COVID-19 room is potentially infected. The challenge lies in safely removing this gear.
Dr. Seheult underscores the importance of this assumption, stating that the virus could have adhered to every external part of the body. SARS-CoV-2 can survive on plastic and steel for up to 72 hours. A momentary lapse while removing a glove or untying a gown could transfer the virus to bare skin, hair, or the face.
The video outlines a two-zone process: a “donning” area where staff suit up before entering the unit, and a separate “doffing” bay equipped with a chair, a trash bin, and a hand-hygiene station. The flow is unidirectional, ensuring that nobody re-enters the clean corridor while still wearing potentially contaminated gear.
This rule is enforced stringently. Dr. Seheult’s personal ICU ensemble includes an N95 respirator, a surgical mask, safety goggles, a disposable hair cover, a fluid-resistant gown, two pairs of gloves, and sometimes shoe covers. Each item is inspected for tears before use. The order of donning is crucial; each layer serves as a protective shield for the one beneath it.
The N95, the most critical item in short supply, is safeguarded by the surgical mask. The goggles protect the eyes from droplets.
The hair cover keeps the virus away from the scalp. The gown blocks splashes. Two pairs of gloves ensure that the outer pair can be discarded first, leaving a clean inner pair for the final step.
However, the real challenge is in doffing. Dr. Seheult meticulously guides viewers through the process.
The outer gloves are removed first, turned inside out. The gown is peeled from the shoulders, rolled inward, and discarded. The hair cover is removed from behind.
The goggles are handled by the straps only. The surgical mask is taken off without touching the front.
Finally, the N95 is removed, again by the straps, and placed in a clean bag for reuse. After each step, hands are sanitized. One error could compromise the entire system.
A hasty gown removal could disperse virus particles into the air. A touched goggle lens could transfer the virus to the fingers.
A grabbed N95 front could contaminate the respirator. Although not explicitly stated, the message is clear: the gear only functions effectively if the protocol is followed meticulously. The shortage increases the stakes.
When masks and gowns are plentiful, mistakes are less costly. A torn glove can be replaced.
A wasted N95 is no big loss. But in April 2020, with supply chains disrupted and hospitals rationing equipment, every piece matters. The video serves not just as a training tool but as a survival guide for workers who cannot afford to waste a single mask or make a single error.
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Dr. Ryan Seheult Posts ICU PPE Tutorial on MedCram
