Researchers have identified the medical procedures considered to pose the greatest risk of spreading COVID-19 through aerosol generation.

Autopsy, airway suctioning and cardiopulmonary resuscitation are among those consistently flagged in different worldwide guidelines, according to a review in BMJ Open Respiratory Research.

A research team, led by Professor Sebastian Straube of the University of Alberta in Canada, reviewed public health guidelines, research papers and policy documents to determine which procedures were classified as aerosol-generating.

“What we sought to do was to understand which procedures generate aerosols and therefore require a higher grade of personal protective equipment,” said Professor Straube in a statement.