Impact of supplementary air filtration on aerosols and particulate matter in a UK hospital ward: a case study.
J Hosp Infect
; 135: 81-89, 2023 May.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-2253380
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Aerosol spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a major problem in hospitals, leading to an increase in supplementary high-efficiency particulate air filtration aimed at reducing nosocomial transmission. This article reports a natural experiment that occurred when an air cleaning unit (ACU) on a medicine for older people ward was switched off accidentally while being commissioned.AIM:
To assess aerosol transport within the ward and determine whether the ACU reduced airborne particulate matter (PM) levels.METHODS:
An ACU was placed in a ward comprising two six-bedded bays plus three single-bed isolation rooms which had previously experienced several outbreaks of coronavirus disease 2019. During commissioning, real-time measurements of key indoor air quality parameters (PM1-10, CO2, temperature and humidity) were collected from multiple sensors over 2 days. During this period, the ACU was switched off accidentally for approximately 7 h, allowing the impact of the intervention on PM to be assessed.FINDINGS:
The ACU reduced the PM counts considerably (e.g. PM1 65.5-78.2%) throughout the ward (P<0.001 all sizes), with positive correlation found for all PM fractions and CO2 (r=0.343-0.817; all P<0.001). PM counts rose/fell simultaneously when the ACU was off, with correlation of PM signals from multiple locations (e.g. r=0.343-0.868; all P<0.001) for particulates <1 µm).CONCLUSION:
Aerosols migrated rapidly between the various ward subcompartments, suggesting that social distancing alone cannot prevent nosocomial transmission of SARS-CoV-2 as this fails to mitigate longer-range (>2 m) transmission. The ACU reduced PM levels considerably throughout the ward space, indicating its potential as an effective intervention to reduce the risk posed by infectious airborne particles.Keywords
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Cross Infection
/
Air Pollution, Indoor
/
COVID-19
Type of study:
Case report
/
Experimental Studies
/
Observational study
/
Prognostic study
/
Randomized controlled trials
Limits:
Aged
/
Humans
Country/Region as subject:
Europa
Language:
English
Journal:
J Hosp Infect
Year:
2023
Document Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
J.jhin.2023.02.006
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