Hospital Air- Conditioning

Abstract

The important aspect about air conditioning of OTs is that the patient and the operating personnel are susceptible to surgical site infection (SSI).The balance between thermal comfort and air quality in healthcare facilities to optimize the Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) is the main aim of this paper. The present paper will present this balance from the viewpoint of the air conditioning design. It was found that the design of the HVAC airside systems plays an important role for achieving the optimum air quality beside the optimum comfort level. This paper highlights the importance of the proper airside design on the IAQ. The present paper introduces some recommendations for airside designs to facilitate the development of optimum HVAC systems. This paper also stresses on the factors that improve the thermal comfort and air quality for the already existed systems (for maintenance procedure) and sets out with describing the HVAC requirements as per NABH recommendations and comparing them with ASHRAE requirements. Keywords—CFD, ACPH, Hospitals operating Theatres (OTs), Air Sterilization System, Air flow pattern I. INTRODUCTION Operation theatre is a very sensitive area, where doctors perform different type of surgeries. As we know that an opening in the body is vulnerable to infections hence utmost, care is taken in the pre- preparation thorough scrub up, autoclaving, fumigation and other methods to ensure that over all maximum sterility level is achieved in the operating room. It is commonly observed that today's operation theatres are clean and well equipped with instruments, machines and latest air conditioners etc. which reflects the attitude of the doctors to provide best facility to the patients. But one area where doctors need to pay attention, very seriously somehow seems left unseen and that is air management of the operation theatre which is of paramount importance. It's obvious as surgeons operate in the air medium, and this air has contaminants like microorganisms, pathogens and other impurities. Fumigation takes care of the airborne pathogens; but in actual practice it doesn't because maximum fumes are thrown out of the theatre before the procedure through the exhaust. The simple logic is when the exhaust starts throwing the fumes out of the OT, through the doors crevices and slits, the contaminated air from outside starts entering into the theatre which in turn starts contaminating the OT Environment. Therefore after taking all the above precautions. There still remain chances of infection to patients through the air media. There is an urgent need of every theatre for an efficient air management system which sullies pure & germ free air on & around the patient table area & also builds positive pressure inside the OT, whereby not allowing the outside airto seep inside the theatre but continuously bring fresh and pure air inside the OT., also builds positive pressure and supplies germ free soft air flow vertically on and around the operating table area continuously. Proper air conditioning is helpful in the prevention and treatment of diseases. Sterilization refers to any process that effectively kills or eliminates transmissible agents (such as fungi, bacteria, viruses etc.) from a surface, equipment, article of food or medication or biological culture medium. Sterilization can be achieved through application of heat, chemicals, irradiation, high pressure or filtration. Air sterilization system refers to sterilizing air and provides purified and fresh air. The Air Sterilization System works on the principle of positive pressure system. When switched on, it supplies pure and germ free air and around the patient's table area.