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Hi All,
This article out today will be of interest to those who are following the cardiac surgery/heatercooler units/mycobacterium chimaera issue.
Sommerstein R, Regg C, Kohler P, Bloemberg G, Kuster SP, Sax H. Transmission of Mycobacterium chimaera from heatercooler units during cardiac surgery despite an ultraclean air ventilation system.
Emerg Infect Dis. 2016 Jun [date cited]. http://dx.doi.org/10.3201/eid2206.160045
http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/22/6/16-0045_article
There is a video of the experiment which is worth watching right hand side of the page.
As you will be aware ultraclean air ventilation system is often referred to as laminar flow in Australia. Laminar flow systems can have up to 45 to 75 air changes per hour compared to conventional operating room ventilation which has a minimum of 20 per hour. In ultraclean air ventilation systems air is discharged above the operating zone and its downward displacement purges the clean zone of any contaminants and particles generated within it.
The air flow in and around the clean zone also serves to prevent particles originating outside the zone from entering. The velocity of air within the clean zone should be sufficient to result in a robust, unidirectional flow capable of resisting ingress of contaminated air from outside the zone.
However in this experiment M. chimaera aerosols from a contaminated heater cooler unit (HCU) to an open surgical field was demonstrated despite ultraclean air ventilation.
Regards
Glenys
Glenys Harrington
Consultant
Infection Control Consultancy (ICC)
PO Box 5202
Middle Park
Victoria, 3206
Australia
M: +61 404 816 434
ABN 47533508426
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