Department of Public Health, College of Medicine, Fu Jen Catholic University, New Taipei City, Taiwan, ROC.
PLoS One. 2013;8(4):e61093. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0061093. Epub 2013 Apr 3.
To prevent surgical site infection (SSI), the airborne microbial concentration in operating theaters must be reduced. The air quality in operating theaters and nearby areas is also important to healthcare workers. Therefore, this study assessed air quality in the post-operative recovery room, locations surrounding the operating theater area, and operating theaters in a medical center. Temperature, relative humidity (RH), and carbon dioxide (CO2), suspended particulate matter (PM), and bacterial concentrations were monitored weekly over one year. Measurement results reveal clear differences in air quality in different operating theater areas. The post-operative recovery room had significantly higher CO2 and bacterial concentrations than other locations. Bacillus spp., Micrococcus spp., and Staphylococcus spp. bacteria often existed in the operating theater area. Furthermore, Acinetobacter spp. was the main pathogen in the post-operative recovery room (18%) and traumatic surgery room (8%). The mixed effect models reveal a strong correlation between number of people in a space and high CO2 concentration after adjusting for sampling locations. In conclusion, air quality in the post-operative recovery room and operating theaters warrants attention, and merits long-term surveillance to protect both surgical patients and healthcare workers.
为预防手术部位感染（SSI），必须降低手术室空气中的微生物浓度。手术室及其周边地区的空气质量对医护人员也很重要。因此，本研究评估了医疗中心术后恢复室、手术室区域周边位置和手术室的空气质量。在一年的时间里，每周监测温度、相对湿度（RH）、二氧化碳（CO2）、悬浮颗粒物（PM）和细菌浓度。测量结果显示不同手术室区域的空气质量有明显差异。术后恢复室的 CO2 和细菌浓度明显高于其他位置。芽孢杆菌、微球菌和葡萄球菌常在手术室区域存在。此外，不动杆菌属在术后恢复室（18%）和创伤手术室（8%）中是主要病原体。混合效应模型显示，在调整采样位置后，空间内人数与高 CO2 浓度之间存在很强的相关性。总之，术后恢复室和手术室的空气质量值得关注，需要进行长期监测，以保护手术患者和医护人员。
