Air-movement control for treatment and isolation rooms.

Abstract

SUMMARYThe 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.