Influence of Ceiling Height on Airflow and Particle Distribution in an Operating Room

Bacteria-carrying particles released by surgical staff are the main factors leading to surgical site infections (SSI). Operating rooms must be designed to reduce risks of such infections. In this numerical study, the effect of different ceiling heights on particle dispersion and deposition are studied for an operating room with laminar airflow (LAF) system. Two different particle diameters (12 and 20 ìm) are tested under three different ceiling heights (2.43–2.8–3.0 m) at a constant air change rate (ACH=20). Numerical predictions are performed by using the commercial software ANSYS Fluent 16.0. The results reveal that decreasing of the ceiling height reduces the amount of particle deposited on the surgical table