Characterization of the airflow distribution in close proximity to the patient in an operating room

Abstract

In modern hospitals, among surgical patients surgical-site infections (SSIs) are the most common hospital-aquired infections accounting for 36% of nosocomial infections. Tremendous efforts have been made to understand the general and procedure-specific patient risk factors for the development of postoperative surgical site infection. However, the nature of the turbulence airflow and the complex dynamic biochemical process prevent the identification and quantification of the effect of the airflow on SSI. Ultra-clean ventilation systems and laminar airflow ceiling have been used in ORs to improve the cleanliness of indoor air. However, another individual study showed significantly higher severe SSI rates following knee prosthesis and significantly higher SSI rates following hip prosthesis under laminar airflow conditions.

The objective of this study is to characterize the airflow distribution in close proximity to a patient in operating rooms with different ventilation systems.