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DOI: 10.1177/1420326X06067802 The Integrated Effect of Medical Lamp Position and Diffuser Discharge Velocity on Ultra-clean Ventilation Performance in an Operating TheatreDivision of Building Science and Technology, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, bsttchow{at}cityu.edu.hk
Division of Building Science and Technology, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR
Division of Building Science and Technology, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR The ventilation system of an operating theatre (OT) in a hospital needs to provide a comfortable and healthy surgical environment, particularly to minimise the risk of airborne infection. Engineering standards are available to outline specialised ventilation design and installation requirements based on knowledge accumulated from quality research and day-to-day practices. In this paper, the integrated effect of a reduction in supply air velocity and changed medical lamp positions on the ultra-clean ventilation performance of a standard OT environment is reported. The dispersion of infectious particles from both the surgical team and the patient were examined through computational fluid dynamic analysis. It was observed that variations in supply velocity and medical lamp configuration will only slightly affect the thermal comfort environment. However, they could have a serious effect on the movement of infectious particles and hence increase the cross infection risk.
Key Words: Operating theatre CFD Indoor airflow Building ventilation
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