Assessing OR airflow using door openings, air particle counts

Editor's Note

Air particle counts (APCs) in the OR increase in relation to traffic and door openings, this study finds.

Over 1 week, researchers recorded APCs in 5-minute intervals and movement of healthcare workers in the OR. Trained observers recorded information about traffic, door openings, job title of the opener, and the reason for opening.

The researchers recorded that at least one OR door was open during 47% of all readings, with 13.4 door openings per hour at rates ranging from 0.19 to 0.28 per minute.

During this time, 660 air measurements were obtained: Mean APCs were 9,238 particles at baseline and 14,292 particles during surgery.

Overall, APCs increased 13% when a door was opened, and larger particles that correlated to bacterial size were elevated significantly on door opening.