Real-time measurements of relative humidity and temperature in hospital operating room

Abstract

This paper investigates a series of real-time measurements of relative humidity and temperature in an operating room at a private hospital located in Selangor, Malaysia. The measurements were logged for 24 hours, at 5 minute intervals, under the actual operating conditions. The time-averaged temperature and relative humidity during the surgical procedures were recorded to be 20.5 °C and 73.9 % respectively. The air temperature fulfilled the ASHRAE Standard 170 requirements, but the humidity level slightly fell out of the proposed range. The door openings and heavy traffic were found to disrupt the stability of the air temperature and humidity distributions in the operating room. The cleaning and disinfecting procedures significantly increased the humidity level by 14 %; whereas the frequent opening of the door elevated the air temperature by 2.5 °C. These two scenarios can potentially increase the growth and activities of bacteria, which may in turn increase the risk of patients suffering from surgical site infections.