RESUMO
STUDY OBJECTIVE: To investigate the quality of medical air in a hospital in the metropolitan area. DESIGN: Prospective study. SETTING: University hospital in the metropolitan Tokyo area. INTERVENTIONS: Medical air introduced into a bio-clean operating room was sampled. MEASUREMENTS: The concentrations of nitric monoxide (NO), nitrogen dioxide (NO(2)), sulfur dioxide (SO(2)), and carbon monoxide (CO) in the medical air were measured every 30 minutes for 15 days. MAIN RESULTS: The concentrations (mean +/- SD) of NO, NO(2), SO(2), and CO were 34.4 +/- 35.0 ppb (range 0-200 ppb), 7.7 +/- 5.5 ppb (0-29 ppb), 33.8 +/- 2.9 ppb (21-46 ppb), and 1.65 +/- 0.87 ppm (0.5-7.5 ppm), respectively. The concentrations of these gases peaked at rush hours within a day. CONCLUSIONS: In the metropolitan area, we occasionally provide our patients with medical air of poor quality.
