The effects of medical staff turning movements on airflow distribution and particle concentration in an operating room

Abstract

The present study aims to examine the effects of medical staff’s turning movements on the number of particles falling onto the patient. A simplified computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model of the operating room was developed and validated based on the published data. An RNG k-e turbulence model based on the Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) equations was used to simulate the airflow, while a discrete phase model was used to simulate the movement of the airborne particles. The medical staff’s turning movements were controlled by integrating a user-defined function (UDF) code and using a dynamic mesh method. Results show that medical staff’s turning movements have a significant influence on the airflow velocity distribution and particle concentration around the patient. A turning movement generally causes more particle deposition; and bending arms also increase the particle depositions when compared to straight arms.