FDA issues guidance on using certain dry heat systems to support respirator reuse

The Food and Drug Administration last week released enforcement policy guidance for health care providers and others using dry heat systems to reduce bioburden on certain N95 and other respirators in limited supply to support reuse by health care personnel during the COVID-19 public health emergency.

FDA has not issued any emergency use authorizations for such systems, but said it does not intend to object to using them to support single-user reuse of certain otherwise disposable filtering facepiece respirators during the emergency. 

System manufacturers should follow both the FDA enforcement guidance and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s existing reuse recommendations, FDA said.