Proposal for testing ventilation systems to control microbial contamination in surgical operating rooms

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Engineering
• Infection Control
• Environmental Microbiology

Background:

• Operating room (OR) air conditioning serves dual purposes: occupant comfort and reducing airborne microbial contamination.
• Controlling microbial contamination in ORs is vital for preventing surgical site infections (SSIs) and ensuring patient safety.
• Demonstrating the effectiveness of OR ventilation systems is necessary for both patient health and resource management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To discuss the essential engineering properties of ventilation systems for controlling airborne microbial contamination in ORs.
• To outline methods for investigating and testing these properties in both conventional and unidirectional airflow ORs.
• To explain how to verify correct engineering test execution through microbial air sampling.

Main Methods:

• Reviewing engineering principles for OR ventilation systems.
• Describing testing protocols for ventilation system performance.
• Detailing methods for measuring airborne microbial contamination in empty ORs to validate system function.

Main Results:

• Identified key engineering properties required for effective airborne microbial control in ORs.
• Proposed methods for testing and verifying ventilation system performance.
• Established a protocol for confirming system efficacy via microbial air sampling.

Conclusions:

• Properly engineered and tested ventilation systems are critical for maintaining microbial cleanliness in ORs.
• Verification through microbial air sampling confirms that ORs meet required cleanliness standards.
• Effective ventilation strategies contribute to reducing surgical site infections and improving patient outcomes.