Article: Critical review on hospital surgical room and mechanical system designs Journal: World Review of Science, Technology and Sustainable Development (WRSTSD) 2013 Vol.10 No.1/2/3 pp.5 - 16 Abstract: The design of HVAC systems for surgical operating rooms requires specific guidance for the design engineer in order to insure that thermal comfort and sepsis control are maintained at all times in order to protect the occupants of the room. Operating room ventilation has been through significant design improvements from the beginning of the 20th century until now. Researchers have found that the room air distribution pattern is a critical parameter for airborne sepsis control, as most contaminants are introduced into the operating room by occupants and object within the room. Computational models have been used by many researchers to determine the room air distribution patterns for a variety of ventilation system and room configurations, but few of these models have been validated with experimental data. Further research is needed to both validate the models that are used for understanding the role of air distribution patterns in surgical sepsis control, as well as studying the impact of increasing heat loads in the next generation of surgical procedures. Inderscience Publishers - linking academia, business and industry through research

Title: Critical review on hospital surgical room and mechanical system designs

Authors: James McNeill; Zhiqiang Zhai

Addresses: Department of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering, University of Colorado at Boulder, 428 UCB, Boulder, CO 80309-0428, USA. ' Department of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering, University of Colorado at Boulder, 428 UCB, Boulder, CO 80309-0428, USA

Abstract: The design of HVAC systems for surgical operating rooms requires specific guidance for the design engineer in order to insure that thermal comfort and sepsis control are maintained at all times in order to protect the occupants of the room. Operating room ventilation has been through significant design improvements from the beginning of the 20th century until now. Researchers have found that the room air distribution pattern is a critical parameter for airborne sepsis control, as most contaminants are introduced into the operating room by occupants and object within the room. Computational models have been used by many researchers to determine the room air distribution patterns for a variety of ventilation system and room configurations, but few of these models have been validated with experimental data. Further research is needed to both validate the models that are used for understanding the role of air distribution patterns in surgical sepsis control, as well as studying the impact of increasing heat loads in the next generation of surgical procedures.

Keywords: hospital surgical rooms; operating theatres; mechanical system design; HVAC systems; thermal comfort; sepsis control; operating room ventilation; air distribution patterns; healthcare technology; HVAC design; heating; air conditioning; heat loads; surgical procedures; surgery.

DOI: 10.1504/WRSTSD.2013.050787

World Review of Science, Technology and Sustainable Development, 2013 Vol.10 No.1/2/3, pp.5 - 16

Received: 10 Nov 2011
Accepted: 27 Jul 2012
Published online: 28 Feb 2014 *

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Title: Critical review on hospital surgical room and mechanical system designs

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