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European Archives of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology

Erschienen in:

16.07.2020 | COVID-19 | Short Communication Zur Zeit gratis

Transmission of droplet-conveyed infectious agents such as SARS-CoV-2 by speech and vocal exercises during speech therapy: preliminary experiment concerning airflow velocity

verfasst von: Antoine Giovanni, Thomas Radulesco, Gilles Bouchet, Alexia Mattei, Joana Révis, Estelle Bogdanski, Justin Michel

Erschienen in: European Archives of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology | Ausgabe 5/2021

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Abstract

Purpose

Infectious agents, such as SARS-CoV-2, can be carried by droplets expelled during breathing. The spatial dissemination of droplets varies according to their initial velocity. After a short literature review, our goal was to determine the velocity of the exhaled air during vocal exercises.

Methods

A propylene glycol cloud produced by 2 e-cigarettes’ users allowed visualization of the exhaled air emitted during vocal exercises. Airflow velocities were measured during the first 200 ms of a long exhalation, a sustained vowel /a/ and varied vocal exercises. For the long exhalation and the sustained vowel /a/, the decrease of airflow velocity was measured until 3 s. Results were compared with a Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) study using boundary conditions consistent with our experimental study.

Results

Regarding the production of vowels, higher velocities were found in loud and whispered voices than in normal voice. Voiced consonants like /ʒ/ or /v/ generated higher velocities than vowels. Some voiceless consonants, e.g., /t/ generated high velocities, but long exhalation had the highest velocities. Semi-occluded vocal tract exercises generated faster airflow velocities than loud speech, with a decreased velocity during voicing. The initial velocity quickly decreased as was shown during a long exhalation or a sustained vowel /a/. Velocities were consistent with the CFD data.

Conclusion

Initial velocity of the exhaled air is a key factor influencing droplets trajectory. Our study revealed that vocal exercises produce a slower airflow than long exhalation. Speech therapy should, therefore, not be associated with an increased risk of contamination when implementing standard recommendations.

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Titel: Transmission of droplet-conveyed infectious agents such as SARS-CoV-2 by speech and vocal exercises during speech therapy: preliminary experiment concerning airflow velocity
verfasst von: Antoine Giovanni
Thomas Radulesco
Gilles Bouchet
Alexia Mattei
Joana Révis
Estelle Bogdanski
Justin Michel
Publikationsdatum: 16.07.2020
Verlag: Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Schlagwort: COVID-19
Erschienen in: European Archives of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology / Ausgabe 5/2021
Print ISSN: 0937-4477
Elektronische ISSN: 1434-4726
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00405-020-06200-7

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Transmission of droplet-conveyed infectious agents such as SARS-CoV-2 by speech and vocal exercises during speech therapy: preliminary experiment concerning airflow velocity