Improving infectious bioaerosols removal in the ophthalmic negative-pressure operating room: The important role of air cleaners

Abstract

Infectious bioaerosols produced by patients pose a health threat to healthcare workers (HCWs) in ophthalmic negative pressure operating rooms (ORs). Thus, it is crucial to understand the transport and deposition characteristics of infectious bioaerosols and find ways to improve their removal efficiency. In this work, numerical simulations of the ophthalmic negative-pressure OR were carried out using the Eulerian–Lagrangian method. The airflow field and bioaerosol distribution during surgery were investigated. The effectiveness of an air cleaner (AC) to enhance bioaerosol removal performance at different airflow parameters was evaluated. The results showed that the AC ventilation inhibited the diffusion of bioaerosol particles and the formation of high-concentration zones. The HCW behind the patient (HCW 1) faced a higher exposure level than the HCW next to the patient (HCW 2). When the AC airflow velocity was increased above 0.5 m/s, the number of inhaled, head-deposited and body-deposited particles was reduced by more than 88.3%, 76.5% and 82.7%, respectively, for HCW 1. The improvement in bioaerosol removal was not significant when the airflow velocity was increased from 0.5 m/s to 0.7 m/s. Appropriately increasing the airflow temperature and decreasing the relative humidity is a reasonable option. Our findings provide useful insights for developing rational mitigation strategies and reducing the cross-infection risk in ophthalmic hospitals.