Utilising localised exhaust and air curtain to reduce airborne particle settlement on surgical patients: potential future application in operating rooms?

An operating room is a healthcare facility used to perform surgical operations on a patient. The OR demands high-air cleanliness and sterile conditions to reduce the risk of patients contracting surgical site infections. However, previous research stated that noticeable particle concentrations were identified near the surgery area. This scenario could elevate the tendency of particles to settle on the patient's wound and subsequently cause SSIs. Therefore, this study examines the effectiveness of innovative localised exhaust and air curtains in reducing the number of particles settling on the patient. An OR model was constructed using computer-aided design (CAD), while the airflow and particle simulation were performed using computational fluid dynamics (CFD). The reliability of the present work was verified and validated using established data before the case study. A Re-Normalisation Group (RNG) k–ε model based on the Eulerian approach was used to simulate the airflow. In contrast, a discrete phase model (DPM) based on the Lagrangian approach was used to simulate the airborne particle dispersion. Results showed that the activation of the localised exhaust located on the two sides of the operating table could reduce the total particle settlement on the patient by 26% when compared to the baseline ventilation system. The installation of an additional air curtain showed the best performance in terms of reducing the particle settlement, followed by the installation of both an additional air curtain and a localised exhaust outlet. The particle concentration settled on a patient showed a positive relationship with the body surface area, which is expressed by equation y = 0.1088x + 0.2528 with a coefficient of determination, R2 value = 0.8764. This study suggests that adopting localised exhaust and air curtain systems in ORs could greatly improve infection control, enhance patient safety and elevate healthcare quality and outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]