BLOGThe importance of pressurised rooms
How pressurised rooms are protecting us from infection and disease
2022-05-20
2 min read
The introduction and spread of Corona-virus throughout the world has changed the way we interact with each other, how we conduct business and manage staff, how we travel and react to our environment, but most importantly, the way we handle and control it in our daily lives.
The medical industry, and in particular hospitals and medical rooms, has become vitally important to protect patients and keep employees safe from disease and infection. Positive and negative pressure rooms are an essential part of controlling this
Positive pressure rooms
Positive pressure rooms maintain a higher pressure inside a treated area than its surrounding environment. This allows air, containing any airborne particles, germs and other contaminants to be filtered out of the room. It also prevents these contaminants in surrounding environments to enter the room. In a medical setting, a ‘protective environment’ which is a positive pressure room keeps patients safe from infections and disease within these rooms.
Positive pressure rooms are helpful when treating patients with compromised immune systems as any harmful element will essentially be filtered out. Other scenarios may include vitro fertilization labs and operating theatres
So what is a negative pressure room?
A negative pressure room uses lower air pressure and allows air from outside into the segregated environment, essentially trapping and keeping potentially harmful particles within the negative pressure room. This is especially important when you think of those patients with infectious conditions (AIIR), such as covid-positive, protecting those outside from exposure.
Both positive and negative pressure rooms are a necessary part of medical and research environments to assist in the prevention and spread of infectious contaminants.
Infection prevention is vital
The importance of infection prevention and control in health care settings cannot be overstated. The global coronavirus pandemic has once again highlighted the need for adequately ventilated and controlled isolation rooms. A neutral pressure room with a positive pressure ventilated lobby creates an environment suitable for managing infectious and immuno-compromised patients. There is no doubt that air pressure stabilisers provide practical solutions and effectively manage the required air pressure differentials.T
SL Hygienic ICU doors
SL Hygienic ICU doors, a new product from ASSA ABLOY Entrance Systems is one of those technologies making this happen. With the industry’s largest openings – over two metres, it is certainly wide enough to accommodate any emergency or hospital bed.
In addition to full integration to building control systems, the SL Hygienic ICU 521 door has the option of acoustic glass for sound proofing and passes all AS/NZ standards (4284:2008) for test pressures.
What does this mean?
Testing is important, to ensure that the criteria of keeping pressure consistent is maintained, especially in a medical environment. It was required that testing be at suctions of -15 Pa and -30 Pa and a further measurement at -40 Pa was included to permit fitting a regression line for later extrapolation or interpolation. All doors are custom made to fit the intention of the room and can be used in various industry segments.
In addition to the medical industry, SL Hygienic doors are well suited for lab rooms, scientific, or isolated type environments as well as any building requiring high efficiency sealing both in a commercial and residential environment.
For more information or for a free consultation of what is possible for your building, please contact ASSA ABLOY Entrance Systems on 1300 13 13 10 or email info.au.entrance@assaabloy.com