Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-4rdpn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-05T12:55:14.256Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Air-movement control for treatment and isolation rooms

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 May 2009

G. Baird  and
W. Whyte
G. Baird
Affiliation:
Building Services Research Unit, University of Glasgow, 3 Lilybank Gardens, Glasgow, W. 2, and the University Department of Bacteriology and Immunology, Western Infirmary, Glasgow. W. 1
W. Whyte
Affiliation:
Building Services Research Unit, University of Glasgow, 3 Lilybank Gardens, Glasgow, W. 2, and the University Department of Bacteriology and Immunology, Western Infirmary, Glasgow. W. 1
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Summary

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

The degree of protection provided by various air movement control systems, as applied to isolation and treatment rooms, has been assessed. The main factors influencing the efficiency of isolation were the air supply rate to the room and the time the door was left open. The effect of some other possible factors, such as temperature differences and method of air distribution, are discussed.

The type of facilities provided must depend on the type of patient and economics, but prediction equations, which allow the assessment of positive, negative and balanced ventilation systems, are presented. The ventilation requirements for isolation rooms should be assessed individually, but for a treatment room a balanced system of ventilation with between 500 and 1000 ft.3/min. should be very effective. Precautions should be taken to ensure the air quantities are balanced and temperature differences are minimized. An air lock should not be necessary for balanced systems provided these rooms are in a mechanically ventilated ward.

We thank Mr W. Carson and members of the Building Services Research Unit for their help and advice and Sister M. F. D. Muir and the staff of the experimental ward for their co-operation. This work was sponsored by the Nuffield Provincial Hospitals Trust.

Requests for reprints, or a fuller description of the ward unit and test results, should be addressed to George Baird, Building Services Research Unit, 3 Lilybank Gardens, Glasgow, W. 2.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Hygiene , Volume 67 , Issue 2 , June 1969 , pp. 225 - 232
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1969

References

REFERENCES

Blowers, R., Mason, G. A., Wallace, K. R. & Walton, M. (1955). Control of wound infection in a thoracic surgery unit. Lancet ii, 786.Google Scholar
Lowbury, E. J. L. (1954). Air conditioning with filtered air for dressing burns. Lancet i, 292.Google Scholar
Michaelson, G. S., Vesley, D. & Halbert, M. M. (1967). Laminar flow studied as aid in care of low resistance patients. Hospitals 41, 91.Google Scholar
Report (1965). Isolation requirements for surgical units. Lancet ii, 895.Google Scholar
Report (1968). The Hairmyres Project—Experiments in Hospital Ward Ventilation. Glasgow: Building Services Research Unit.Google Scholar
Shooter, R. A., Taylor, G. W., Ellis, G. & Ross, J. P. (1956). Postoperative wound infection. Surgery Gynec. Obstet. 103, 257.Google ScholarPubMed
Woodruff, M. F. A., Nolan, B., Bowie, J. H. & Gould, J. C. (1968). The Nuffield Transplantation Surgery Unit. Lancet i, 905.Google Scholar