Numerical Study of Patient Respiration Effect on Bacterial Dispersion in a Surgery Room

Abstract

This study aims to present a numerical investigation of respiration influence on the particle concentration in a surgery room. Controlling the temperature and contamination in the surgery room is essential for safe and risk-free surgical procedures. Generally, in many hospital cleanrooms, utilized for operations such as open-heart surgery, organ transplantation, and neurosurgery, the reduction of pollutant particles is vital as a factor that can lead to capillary clogging during an operation. Also, reducing the concentration of large particles is very important, because dust particles may contain various pathogenic bacteria and viruses. Therefore, particle distribution and temperature control were numerically investigated in this study. At first, the particle concentration at specific zones was investigated to obtain the stability of the respiratory cycle. Then, the concentration and aggregation of particles around the patient’s head were measured on different pages along the coordinate axes while patient’s breathing was quite stable. Furthermore, the effect of the air conditioning system of the room on temperature distribution control by was studied in a specific area. The simulation results showed a considerable decrease in the particle concentration, but the particles were not eliminated from the room completely. Moreover, the higher temperature of the area around the patient's head caused by his breathing had little effect on room temperature, and the inlet air controlled the room temperature properly.