Experimental study on the thermal plume from a surgeon in an operating room with mixing ventilation during COVID-19 pandemic

Following the outbreak of COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) in 2019, studies show positive results in protecting the surgical staff from patients infected by COVID-19 in operating rooms (ORs) with negative pressure. A negative pressure environment inside the operating room (OR) reduces the virus's circulation outside the OR (Chen et al., 2020). Nevertheless, it is unclear whether the surgeon's thermal plume can impact the transport of contaminants up to the breathing zone and thus cause infection in ORs with various pressure differences compared to adjacent rooms. The results show that a gap between the surgical manikin and the operating table greatly affects the development of the thermal plume from the head surgeon. A plate between the surgical manikin and the operating table may significantly influence the airflow distribution in front of the head surgeon more than the pressure difference inside the operating room.publishedVersio

Experimental Study on the Surgical Microenvironment in an Operating Room with Mixing Ventilation under Positive and Negative Pressure

Due to the outbreak of Covid-19, negative pressure operating room (NPOR) are strongly recommended to be applied to prevent spreading virus from infected patients to adjacent rooms during surgery procedures. However, there have been few experimental studies on the effect of OR pressure difference on the surgical microenvironment. This study aims to experimentally investigate the airflow distribution in the surgical microenvironment in an OR under different pressure conditions. All measurements were performed in a fullscale laboratory, which has an area of 62 m2, and a mixing ventilation. The air velocity and temperature in the surgical microenvironment of a lying patient were measured under positive pressure of 5 Pa, 10 Pa, 15 Pa and negative pressure of -5 Pa, -10 Pa and -15 Pa. The effect of heat generated by operating lamps was also considered. The results show that the airflow distribution around the surgical wound is dominated by thermal plume from the patient under the condition of both positive and negative pressure. In other areas of the surgical microenvironment, regardless the pressure difference conditions, the room airflow distribution by ventilation system is the dominant factor on surgical microenvironment. Variations in differential pressure can affect the temperature distribution around the surgical site, with a smaller differential pressure producing a slightly larger vertical temperature gradient.publishedVersio

Experimental study on the thermal plume from a surgeon in an operating room with mixing ventilation during COVID-19 pandemic

Following the outbreak of COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) in 2019, studies show positive results in protecting the surgical staff from patients infected by COVID-19 in operating rooms (ORs) with negative pressure. A negative pressure environment inside the operating room (OR) reduces the virus's circulation outside the OR (Chen et al., 2020). Nevertheless, it is unclear whether the surgeon's thermal plume can impact the transport of contaminants up to the breathing zone and thus cause infection in ORs with various pressure differences compared to adjacent rooms. The results show that a gap between the surgical manikin and the operating table greatly affects the development of the thermal plume from the head surgeon. A plate between the surgical manikin and the operating table may significantly influence the airflow distribution in front of the head surgeon more than the pressure difference inside the operating room

Experimental study on the thermal plume from a surgeon in an operating room with mixing ventilation during COVID-19 pandemic

Following the outbreak of COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) in 2019, studies show positive results in protecting the surgical staff from patients infected by COVID-19 in operating rooms (ORs) with negative pressure. A negative pressure environment inside the operating room (OR) reduces the virus's circulation outside the OR (Chen et al., 2020). Nevertheless, it is unclear whether the surgeon's thermal plume can impact the transport of contaminants up to the breathing zone and thus cause infection in ORs with various pressure differences compared to adjacent rooms. The results show that a gap between the surgical manikin and the operating table greatly affects the development of the thermal plume from the head surgeon. A plate between the surgical manikin and the operating table may significantly influence the airflow distribution in front of the head surgeon more than the pressure difference inside the operating room

Experimental Study on the Surgical Microenvironment in an Operating Room with Mixing Ventilation under Positive and Negative Pressure

Due to the outbreak of Covid-19, negative pressure operating room (NPOR) are strongly recommended to be applied to prevent spreading virus from infected patients to adjacent rooms during surgery procedures. However, there have been few experimental studies on the effect of OR pressure difference on the surgical microenvironment. This study aims to experimentally investigate the airflow distribution in the surgical microenvironment in an OR under different pressure conditions. All measurements were performed in a fullscale laboratory, which has an area of 62 m2, and a mixing ventilation. The air velocity and temperature in the surgical microenvironment of a lying patient were measured under positive pressure of 5 Pa, 10 Pa, 15 Pa and negative pressure of -5 Pa, -10 Pa and -15 Pa. The effect of heat generated by operating lamps was also considered. The results show that the airflow distribution around the surgical wound is dominated by thermal plume from the patient under the condition of both positive and negative pressure. In other areas of the surgical microenvironment, regardless the pressure difference conditions, the room airflow distribution by ventilation system is the dominant factor on surgical microenvironment. Variations in differential pressure can affect the temperature distribution around the surgical site, with a smaller differential pressure producing a slightly larger vertical temperature gradient

Experimental Study on the Surgical Microenvironment in an Operating Room with Mixing Ventilation under Positive and Negative Pressure

Due to the outbreak of Covid-19, negative pressure operating room (NPOR) are strongly recommended to be applied to prevent spreading virus from infected patients to adjacent rooms during surgery procedures. However, there have been few experimental studies on the effect of OR pressure difference on the surgical microenvironment. This study aims to experimentally investigate the airflow distribution in the surgical microenvironment in an OR under different pressure conditions. All measurements were performed in a fullscale laboratory, which has an area of 62 m2, and a mixing ventilation. The air velocity and temperature in the surgical microenvironment of a lying patient were measured under positive pressure of 5 Pa, 10 Pa, 15 Pa and negative pressure of -5 Pa, -10 Pa and -15 Pa. The effect of heat generated by operating lamps was also considered. The results show that the airflow distribution around the surgical wound is dominated by thermal plume from the patient under the condition of both positive and negative pressure. In other areas of the surgical microenvironment, regardless the pressure difference conditions, the room airflow distribution by ventilation system is the dominant factor on surgical microenvironment. Variations in differential pressure can affect the temperature distribution around the surgical site, with a smaller differential pressure producing a slightly larger vertical temperature gradient