The impact of ventilation rate on reducing the microorganisms load in the air and on surfaces in a room‐sized chamber
Waseem Hiwar, Marco‐Felipe King, Harith Kharrufa, Emma Tidswell, Louise A. Fletcher, Catherine J. Noakes
Abstract
Hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) remain a serious problem for healthcare providers worldwide and are further compounded by the ongoing growth of antibiotic resistance among microorganisms, which leads to rising death rates, durations of hospital stay, and treatment expenses. In 2017, HAIs were responsible for around 22 800 deaths, and the treatment of HAI patients in England alone cost 2.1 billion. 1 Alongside long-standing concerns over bacterial and fungal infections, the COVID-19 pandemic has raised awareness of the significance of the built environment in the spread of communicable viral infections.
Topics & Concepts
ContaminationAerosolizationVentilation (architecture)Deposition (geology)MicroorganismEnvironmental scienceAir changeBioaerosolAirborne transmissionRoom air distributionEnvironmental engineeringAerosolEcologyChemistryMeteorologyBacteriaBiologyInhalationMedicineCoronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)Infectious disease (medical specialty)Organic chemistryPathologyDiseasePhysicsSedimentGeneticsPaleontologyAnatomyInfection Control and VentilationInfection Control in HealthcareIndoor Air Quality and Microbial Exposure