Computerized control of the procedure for detecting and removing airborne particles in operating rooms

Surgical-site infections are still a major problem in modern medicine. Normal skin fora of patients or healthcare workers causes more than half of all infections following clean surgery, but the importance of airborne particles in this setting remains controversial. The use of ultraclean air in oper...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of medical systems 2004-04, Vol.28 (2), p.117-127
Main Authors: Bay, Omer Faruk, Ergül, Nesip
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Air Pollution, Indoor - prevention & control
Airborne particulates
Computers
Detection
Dust
Dust - analysis
Filtration - methods
Hospitals
Medicine
Operating Rooms
Operating theatres
Outdoor air quality
Software
Surgery Department, Hospital
United States
User-Computer Interface
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Summary:Surgical-site infections are still a major problem in modern medicine. Normal skin fora of patients or healthcare workers causes more than half of all infections following clean surgery, but the importance of airborne particles in this setting remains controversial. The use of ultraclean air in operating rooms has been shown to reduce infection rates significantly. High efficiency particlulate air (HEPA) filters are used in some modern operating rooms. Although the uses of HEPA filters, the air quality should be controlled by another device to make safe the air in operating rooms and intensive care units. In this study, a computerized system was established to control the cleanliness of the air by measuring the presence of airborne particles of varying sizes and numbers in operating rooms. When the maximum values are exceeded, the system warns the authorized people by phone, sound, or displays.
ISSN:0148-5598
1573-689X
DOI:10.1023/b:joms.0000023295.04844.81