Improve infection control
Ensure proper air changes
Save energy
The ventilation and pressurization flow requirements for patient care spaces are detailed in ASHRAE Standard 170 with the following stated Purpose: “requirements that provide environmental control for comfort, asepsis, and odor control in health care facilities”. Airborne pathogens, fungi laden dust from renovation, mycobacterium tuberculosis, influenza, asthma, bacteria, VOCs, many other infectious maladies and odors all require tight airflow controls to prevent their migration and the contamination of adjacent spaces in healthcare facilities.
MOB – MEDICAL OFFICE BUILDINGS
Or POB – Physician’s Office Buildings
_____
MOB/POB facilities under hospital licensure are required to meet the same requirements as hospital spaces. All rely on some of the same principles of air system operation as other health-related spaces. EBTRON airflow measurement products help building managers verify sufficient dilution ventilation to mitigate the potential for disease transmission and reliable pressure barriers to protect occupants from exposure to the risk of airborne infection. Pressurization flow is left for the design authority to designate based on the use of the space, due to the multiplicity of space uses and occupancies.
PATIENT ROOMS
6 air changes per hour
_____
The last thing healthcare providers want is for a patient being treated for one malady to acquire another as a result of their visit to the hospital. Statistics allow us to estimate that a small but significant percentage of Hospital Acquired Infections (of which 1/3 are airborne) cause about 4,400 deaths in the U.S. annually. Healthcare ventilation accreditation standards require 6 Air Changes per Hour (ACH) for these rooms. EBTRON measurement products possess high reliability in performance and longevity and near zero drift over 10 years.
SURGERIES, TRAUMA AND ENDO SUITES
15-20 air changes per hour, Positive Pressurization
_____
Similar to other protective environments, surgeries, ORs, invasive treatment rooms, etc. require that controls prevent the migration of harmful diseases or pathogens from entering the space. This type of service duty provides needed pressurization flow control to some of the greatest contributors to hospital revenue. Reliability of the components needed to keep it running are paramount. EBTRON has provided thousands of sensors for flow control in operating rooms and treatment spaces, learning much and sharing our knowledge with healthcare customers over the last 30 years.
AIRBORNE INFECTION ISOLATION (ALL) ROOMS
12 air changes per hour, Negative Pressurization
_____
Those with contagious or otherwise communicable diseases are generally placed in isolation from most hospital staff and other patients. The air systems are designed and controlled so that air flows into the space before being highly filtered or exhausted directly outside the facility. EBTRON’s airflow measurement technology is the most reliable and ideal solution to provide measurable airflow, ensuring negative pressure flow for Isolation rooms.
PROTECTIVE ENVIRONMENT (PE) ROOMS
12 air changes per hour, Positive Pressurization
_____
The most vulnerable of those housed in healthcare facilities include: bone-marrow recipients, newborn infants, those in burn units and critical care patients. They must be ‘protected’ from exposure to diseases which may be carried by staff or the duct system in the facility. EBTRON pressurization flow and ventilation control devices are significant tools to prevent diseases from attacking the most vulnerable while healing.
