Abstract
Various highly infective pathogens that are present in hospital wards can spread through the air and infect patients. To remove pathogens effectively in order to reduce infections, the efficient ventilation of hospital wards is critical. This study used age of air data to analyze the ventilation efficiency within hospital wards. The validity of the numerical analysis method was verified by comparison with the age of air data obtained from an experimental test on a four-bed hospital ward. The verified numerical analysis method was used to establish the airflow within a hospital ward in relation to the use of ventilation systems, air cleaners, and individual patient curtains. The efficiency of ventilation according to each factor was compared using age of air data. Considerable differences in the age of the air were identified, depending on the location of the patient with respect to both the air cleaner and the inlet/outlet duct of the ventilation system. Furthermore, individual curtains were found to interfere with air circulation, reducing ventilation efficiency and increasing the age of the air at the location of each patient.
Highlights
Since most of the patients in a hospital ward require long-term care, secondary infections can occur due to airborne viruses in the ward (Beggs, 2003)
The validity of the numerical analysis method was verified by comparison with the age of air data obtained from an experimental test on a four-bed hospital ward
Since viruses and particles on which viruses can be parasitic are various in size in actual hospital ward environments, the laboratory simulating a four-bed hospital ward was filled with atmospheric air containing particles of various sizes before turning on the ventilation system and the air cleaner
Summary
Since most of the patients in a hospital ward require long-term care, secondary infections can occur due to airborne viruses in the ward (Beggs, 2003). Effective ventilation is very important in reducing the possibility of such airborne infection. Improvement of indoor air quality through the reduction of fine dust concentration is an area of active research, and numerous studies have been conducted on the analysis of airflow in interior spaces. In the Republic of Korea, knowledge based on studies considering both the indoor propagation of airborne pathogens and the ventilation of hospital wards has increased in response to the number of occurrences of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome. Ventilation and air-purification technologies are widely used to improve the quality of indoor air (Noh and Oh, 2015; Ciuzas et al, 2016; Siegel, 2016). Numerous studies have been conducted on reducing the concentrations of indoor airborne particulates using ventilation systems and Recently, following confirmation of the risk of infection
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