Air quality evaluation in Uruguayan operating rooms : Evaluation of parameters, practices and measures associated with air quality in Uruguayan hospitals using air quality reports and computational fluid mechanics.

Abstract

This thesis evaluates air quality in Uruguayan operating rooms, focusing on both general air quality principles and a specific case study of a surgical room. The work is divided into three main parts. The first part presents a literature review on air quality, covering key parameters such as temperature, humidity, ventilation, differential pressure, and particulate concentration. It also discusses national and international air quality standards, ventilation systems (TMA and LAF), and associated maintenance practices. Additionally, air quality evaluations from 41 operating rooms in Uruguayan hospitals are analyzed using air quality reports. The results reveal a general lack of knowledge about ventilation and differential pressure management, specially for TMA rooms, despite the similar risks presented by the more controlled LAF-operated rooms. The second part focuses in the design and validation of a computational fluid dynamics code implemented in openFOAM for air quality evaluation in indoor environments. The code is validated using reference experiments. The third part focuses on a case study involving a specific OR with LAF ventilation. The CFD model is implemented to assess the impact of a partial separation wall between the air supply inlet and ceiling exhaust outlets. Three scenarios are simulated: with the separation wall installed, with a shorter wall, and without the wall. Results indicate that the partial wall improves air quality across the entire room, reducing contaminant concentration by 10.7% and increasing ventilation eciency from 41.7% to 51.5%. Near the patient area, contaminant levels decrease by 8.32% compared to the scenario without the wall.