Sources of foul odor may include:
(1) large, necrotic tumor
(2) large, infected wound
(3) body odor associated with poor personal hygiene
(4) body odor associated with dietary or metabolic conditions
(5) fecal material
(6) environmental contaminants on skin or clothes
Handling the odor:
(1) mask the odor with another odor
(2) prevent inhalation
(3) removal of cause
(4) providing adequate ventilation
Face masks containing activated charcoal (available from 3M) are effective in handling "nuisance odors.". These are available as regular facial masks as well as N95 facial masks suitable for infection control.
Some ways of masking odors include:
(1) plates of onions (I have seen this once and it did not work very well.)
(2) Vicks VapoRub under the nose
(3) room deodorants
The ventilation outflow from the patient's room should be vented outside or to an area away from people.
