Highlights
Particle control technology:
- •Reduced airborne particles by 95% compared to standard ventilation in operating rooms.
- •Killed 95% of Bacillus subtilis (anthrax surrogate) within three hours.
- •Could significantly reduce airborne infection in hospitals and healthcare settings.
Background
Controlling indoor air quality and the airborne transmission of infectious agents
in hospitals is critical. The most hazardous particles and pathogens are not easily
eliminated by traditionally passive air cleansing.
Methods
We studied the effect of a novel particle control technology on airborne particulate
matter in 2 live real-world operating room settings and on pathogen survival in a
microbiology laboratory.
Results
Particle control technology reduced operating room particle and pathogen loads by
94.4% in a community hospital operating room, and by 95% in an academic medical center
operating room. The addition of particle control technology to a collector loaded
with a biologic warfare surrogate resulted in a 95% kill rate of an anthrax surrogate
(Bacillus subtilis) within 3 hours.
Discussion
Deployment of this emerging technology could significantly reduce indoor air contamination
and associated infections in operating rooms, hospital isolation rooms, and intensive
care settings, as well as reduce inflammatory responses to airborne particles.
Conclusions
The particle control technology studied may protect patients from hospital-acquired
infections, reduce inflammatory pulmonary disease, and mitigate exposure to biologic
weapons.
Graphics Abstract
Graphical Abstract
Key Words
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: January 05, 2020
Footnotes
Conflicts of interest: M.H.E. is an unpaid consultant at SecureAire, Inc. D.H.H. is an inventor, founder, and shareholder at SecureAire, Inc. F.S. is a founder, shareholder, and CEO at SecureAire, Inc.
Identification
Copyright
© 2019 Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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- ErratumAmerican Journal of Infection ControlVol. 48Issue 12
- PreviewIn the article “Particle Control Reduces Fine and Ultra-fine Particles Great Than HEPA Filtration in Live Operating Rooms and Kills Biologic Warfare Surrogate.” by Mark H. Ereth, et al. in the July issue of the American Journal of Infection Control (2020;48(7):777-80) the last paragraph of page 1 and the first full paragraph of page 2 were incorrect.
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