Design of air distribution system in operating rooms -theory versus practice

Air distribution systems need to secure a good indoor air quality in operating rooms (ORs), minimize the risk of surgical site infections, and establish suitable working conditions for the surgical team through the thermal comfort. The paper presents an overview of the design and decision process of air distribution systems in ORs. The study was done by conducting a literature review, interviews with designers and decision makers, and observations in ORs. Literature, experiments and computational simulation have been used to support designers. Interviews indicate that designing and selecting systems is a great challenge for designers and decision makers. Observations allowed for a confirmation that the system not always meet users´ needs and that surgical teams are not always using the system correctly. There is a strong need for future researches and areas to be focused on during the design and decision process of ORs air distribution systems.