Air Filtration + Ventilation for COVID-19

Recruiting at 1 trial location

Age: Any Age

Sex: Any

Trial Phase: Academic

Sponsor: Stanford University

Disqualifiers: Index case positive over 2 days, Half household infected, Fewer than 3 contacts, others

No Placebo Group All trial participants will receive the active study treatment (no placebo)

Compensation: Varies

Number of Visits: 7

200 Participants Needed

Trial Summary

Will I have to stop taking my current medications?

The trial information does not specify whether you need to stop taking your current medications.

Is air filtration and ventilation safe for humans?

Air filtration using HEPA filters is generally safe, but there are some concerns. In small patients, like children, these filters can cause breathing issues if not used carefully. For SARS patients, using filters in ventilators is recommended to prevent virus spread, but hospitals need to take steps to avoid any negative effects on breathing. ^{1 2 3 4 5}

How does the Filtration Fan treatment for COVID-19 differ from other treatments?

The Filtration Fan treatment is unique because it focuses on improving air quality by using air filtration and ventilation to reduce the spread of COVID-19, rather than directly targeting the virus in the body like traditional drugs. This approach helps remove potentially infectious particles from the air, which is especially important in indoor settings where the virus can linger in aerosols. ^{1 6 7 8 9}

What is the purpose of this trial?

Investigators are evaluating whether an intervention consisting of box-fans with MERV 16 filters ("filtration fans") and recommendations for improving ventilation in the home can reduce secondary spread of Covid19 from an index case to susceptible contacts within the home.

Research Team

Yvonne Maldonado, MD

Principal Investigator

Stanford University

Abraar Karan, MD

Principal Investigator

Stanford University

Eligibility Criteria

This trial is for households with a confirmed case of COVID-19 and at least three other people living together. Eligible homes must not have had the positive test result more than two days ago, expect most members to be present over the next week, and can't already have half or more members likely infected.

Inclusion Criteria

There are at least three other people living in the same house as the person being studied.

You live with others in the same house or apartment, not in a separate room.

Exclusion Criteria

If the positive test result was more than 2 days ago

If household has fewer than 3 contacts interested in participating in the study

If more than half of the people living in your home are believed to already have the infection.

Timeline

Screening

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial

1 week

Intervention

Families receive filtration fans and ventilation advice; baseline testing conducted

7 days

Day 0-1 baseline testing, Day 3-4 follow-up

Follow-up

Participants are monitored for secondary transmission and CO2 levels

7 days

Day 7 testing for secondary transmission

Treatment Details

Interventions

• Filtration Fan
• Mid-week phone call
• Safe-home pamphlet

Trial Overview The study tests if using box-fans with high-efficiency filters alongside guidance on improving home ventilation can prevent COVID-19 from spreading to others in the same household as someone who's infected.

Participant Groups

Group I: Intervention Experimental Treatment 3 Interventions

Families are provided with one filtration fan unit per room in their home (and one for the index case; if the family lives in a studio, they would receive 2 units). Investigators will advise families on ventilation improvements in their home. Investigators will provide an instructional pamphlet that describes how the fans work and the importance of ventilation. Investigators will follow-up on day 3-4 to check in and run through a checklist to ensure the fans are working and ventilation improvements are being attempted. Investigators will give families a CO2 monitor to measure average CO2 levels in the home. Investigators will test family members at day 0-1 for baseline testing; and again on day 7 for assessing secondary transmission among susceptible contacts.

Group II: Control Active Control 1 Intervention

No intervention will be administered in this arm. Investigators will give families a CO2 monitor to measure average CO2 levels in the home. Investigators will provide a link to the basic CDC isolation guidelines which would be part of standard of care. Investigators will test family members at day 0-1 for baseline testing; and again on day 7 for assessing secondary transmission among susceptible contacts.

Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?

Stanford University

Lead Sponsor

Trials

2,527

Recruited

17,430,000+

National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)

Collaborator

Trials

3,361

Recruited

5,516,000+

Findings from Research

A study demonstrated that HEPA filters can effectively remove airborne SARS-CoV-2, achieving capture ratios of 85.38%, 96.03%, and over 99.97% at different ventilation volumes, indicating their potential for infection control in indoor environments.

The performance of HEPA filters coated with an antiviral agent was found to be comparable to that of conventional HEPA filters, suggesting that both types are effective in reducing the spread of COVID-19 in the air.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Effectiveness of HEPA Filters at Removing Infectious SARS-CoV-2 from the Air. Ueki, H., Ujie, M., Komori, Y., et al.[2022]

References

1. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Effectiveness of HEPA Filters at Removing Infectious SARS-CoV-2 from the Air. [2022]

2. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Mechanical ventilation of SARS patients. Safety issues involving breathing-circuit filters. [2007]

3. England pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Nano-treatment of HEPA filters in COVID-19 isolation rooms in an academic medical center in Saudi Arabia. [2023]

4. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Cost-Effective Filtrating Suction to Evacuate Surgical Smoke in Laparoscopic and Robotic Surgery During the COVID-19 Pandemic. [2021]

5. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Dead in the air- The need to adapt to CoVID adaptations. [2021]

6. Korea (South) pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Air filtration and SARS-CoV-2. [2023]

7. England pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Efficacy of Do-It-Yourself air filtration units in reducing exposure to simulated respiratory aerosols. [2023]

8. England pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Assessment of novel antiviral filter using pseudo-type SARS-CoV-2 virus in fast air velocity vertical-type wind tunnel. [2023]

9. Netherlands pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Efficient trapping and destruction of SARS-CoV-2 using PECO-assisted Molekule air purifiers in the laboratory and real-world settings. [2023]