Does a mobile laminar airflow screen reduce bacterial contamination in the operating room? A numerical study using...

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Engineering
• Microbiology
• Surgical Safety

Background:

• Airborne bacteria in operating rooms (ORs) pose a risk of surgical wound contamination.
• Efficient ventilation systems are key to reducing air contamination during surgery.
• This study investigates the impact of mobile laminar airflow (MLAF) units on OR air quality.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the additive effect of MLAF units on microbiological air quality in an OR with existing turbulent-mixing ventilation.
• To determine if MLAF units can reduce bacterial contamination to acceptable levels for orthopedic implant surgery.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a recently designed OR as a physical model for simulation.
• Employed computational fluid dynamics (CFD) for numerical calculations.
• Simulated bacterial air contamination and sedimentation rates with and without MLAF units.

Main Results:

• Mobile laminar airflow units significantly reduced airborne and sedimenting bacteria-carrying particles.
• Contamination levels reached acceptable standards for orthopedic implant surgery when MLAF was used.
• No significant changes in sedimentation rates were observed in the OR periphery.

Conclusions:

• MLAF units are a viable option for enhancing OR air quality when primary ventilation is insufficient for orthopedic implant surgery.
• The effectiveness of MLAF is localized, with a significant impact within approximately 1 meter of the unit.
• Increasing MLAF air velocity beyond 0.4 m/s does not expand its effective range.