Follow these guidelines on temperature humidity editor s note.
Operating room temperature and humidity policy uk.
Asc infection prevention policies and procedures.
Organizations should determine the appropriate temperature and humidity and ventilation parameters based on the design criteria at the time of construction see also the note in ec 02 05 01 ep 15 for new renovated or altered spaces organizations that use the joint commission for deemed status purposes must use ashrae 170 2008 as.
It is important for csts and other or personnel to know and understand the ifus for the supplies and equipment that are stored and used in the or.
In addition ashe has created a flow chart on the following page to help facilities determine whether a lower relative humidity is appropriate.
Operating rooms have visual alerts in a central location when the or air temperature or humidity is out of the parameter range but these alerts are on.
What are the recommended humidity ranges for an operating room.
For additional information please refer to appendix a.
Proper ventilation airflow temperature and humidity are needed for successful surgical operations.
Currently ashrae ashe standard 170 2017 ventilation of health care facilities defines the minimum relative humidity rh level for an operating room as 20 and the maximum level as 60.
The design requirements for these parameters in healhtcare settings are defined by ashrae standard 170 and are generally straightforward however or operating room users often try to operate or hvac heating ventilating and air conditioning systems at temperatures and humidity levels.
Do i need to close the or if the temperature or humidity are out of range.
Access to this content requires a subscription if your facility has a subscription please check with them about access.
To acutely decrease the rh level of an operating room one can either remove water vapor or increase temperature it is unlikely that one would increase the atmospheric pressure.
For example if a room is 68 f with 60 relative humidity within parameter range and you drop the temperature to 64 f the relative humidity will rise to 68 out of parameter range.
To help our readers same day surgery is printing advice in the top 10 areas that receive the most questions at the center for nursing practice research and health policy at the association of operating room nurses aorn in denver.
Humidity and temperature from a single or over 2 months.
The ninth topic included in this month s issue covers temperature and humidity.
The guidance outlines eight questions for health care facilities to consider before using relative humidity levels below 30 percent in operating rooms.
While published guidelines are applicable to all.
