Literature review of staff thermal comfort and patient "thermal risks" in operating rooms

This paper discusses the thermal comfort of Staff and the thermal risks for the patient in operating rooms. Staff has often reported thermal discomfort during surgery. Factors which affect the thermal comfort include physiological and psychological perception, climate, the level and type of physical activity, and the types of clothes worn. Evaluating the thermal risks of the patient is very important in order to know how to prevent him/her from suffering hypothermia. The results will show that there is a strong need for future research and also which areas need to be focused on

Performance based design for ventilation systems of operating rooms supported by numerical simulation - discussing the methodology

This paper discusses a methodology to support the performance assessment of ventilation systems of operating rooms (ORs), with a further focus on the application of numerical simulation tools in this design assessment. The performance based design should provide good information quality that advises the needs and expectation of the stake holders. The methods consist of literature review, the development of an information matrix to assess ventilation systems of ORs, and two case studies that will elucidate the approach and verify its applicability. The methodology chosen combines the performance base approach with the Building Evaluation Domain Model. The results will permit to identify which type of numerical simulation tools is best applicable for the assessment of a specific performance indicator and how the assessment should be performed. The conclusions will indicate directions for future work and which areas need to be focused on

Testing the effectiveness of operating room ventilation with regard to removal of airborne bacteria

In this research the ability of the ventilation system in an operating room to keep the operating table and the instrument tables free from airborne bacteria has been evaluated in an experimental mock-up for different ventilation systems under various static circumstances. To accomplish this, the VDI 2167 particle test has been used as a basis. In this test particles are released on the floor and smoke concentrations are measured on the operating table. The VDI 2167 method was able to distinguish the different systems, but did not provide for a complete evaluation. The thermal balance in the room plays a major role in whether a laminar downflow system works and the VDI method does not incorporate this into the tests in an adequate manner. Moreover, the influence of surgical lighting is not included in the test method in an effective way

Review of ventilation systems in operating rooms in view of infection control

The Postoperative Infection Rate (PIR) generally depends on factors such as the type of surgery, the cleanliness of equipment, medical procedures, and the level of microorganisms in the immediate and surrounding environments. Another major factor to consider is the quality of the air in the operating room (OR). The aim of this paper is review different ventilation systems in order to evaluate the of infection control (IC). This review consists of a literature review and observations in OR. The objective is to assist design engineers in developing more efficient ventilation systems, and to help stakeholders in choosing the "best" system for the particular type of surgery they need to perform. The practical result will be that security aspects of IC will be strengthened, which should lead to lower PIR

Review of operating room ventilation standards

This article reviews standards applied to operating room ventilation design used by European, South and North American countries. Required environmental parameters are compared with regard to type of surgery, and ventilation system. These requirements as well as their relation to infection control issues are discussed in this paper