Watch the Video about Laminar Flow Disruption by Forced-air Warming
Please watch the video. It is honest, unaltered footage taken in a simulated OR of laminar flow ventilation being disrupted by forced-air warming. What you will see is physics at work.
The physics is simple: heat rises! After passing over the patient’s skin and dropping near the dirty floor, the waste hot air rises--overpowering the ultra- clean downward air current of laminar flow-- and then, having cooled, falls into the surgical site.
Reducing surgical site infections (SSIs) is of the highest priority for hospitals, insurance companies, and national health initiatives. Not to mention patients and their families.
Providing an ultra clean surgical environment with laminar flow has become the standard of care because it helps reduce hospital acquired infections. A study cited by the Centers for Disease Control revealed a reduction in SSIs from 3.4% to 1.6% merely as a result of laminar flow.
Warming surgical patients, of course, is also the standard of care. Normothermic patients are far less likely to acquire a post-operative wound infection—64% less likely by one study (Mahoney, AANA J, 1999)—than those who aren’t warmed. The device used to warm patients, however, should not increase the risk of bacterial contamination.
Fortunately, there is an [air-free] alternative. HotDog® conductive fabric warms as effectively as forced air, but is safe, eco-friendly, and much less expensive.
We encourage you to conduct the simple test detailed at the end of the video to prove that the forced-air exhaust heat rises in your operating room. Of course, it will. Hot air always rises.
We want to hear your comments about hot air and its effects on laminar flow. Your thoughts and knowledge are important to us.
