Minimizing the airborne particle migration to the operating room during door opening

Airborne bacteria that enter an open wound during surgery can result in post-operative infections, commonly referred to as surgical site infections (SSIs). The level of contaminants is usually lower in the operating rooms (ORs) in contrast to adjacent corridors. Penetration of particles carrying bacteria through the doorway during a door opening gives rise to the OR contaminant level as door-opening and passage may occur every 2.5 minutes during a given surgical activity. The authors had previously conducted a successful research study to reduce the contaminant migration from an anteroom, through the doorway, into an Airborne Infection Isolation Room (AIIR). In contrast to the AIIRs, the ORs are usually over-pressured related to the surrounding environments. However, both ORs and AIIRs share the same interest in avoiding air exchange between the room and the adjacent space. This paper, built upon the previous research achievement, proposes an innovative design solution to reduce the bacteria penetration to the ORs during a door opening and staff passage. Previously achieved results from CFD simulation and laboratory measurement confirmed that installing a ventilation unit that supplies a high air volume into the OR through low-velocity wall diffusers, may significantly reduce the contaminant migration to the OR during door-opening activities. (paper)