This paper discusses the issues associated with performing surgery on patients who are known or suspected of having an airborne infectious disease. The American Institute of Architects (AIA) speaks to this subject, stating that invasive procedures should not be performed on these individuals in the operating suite but rather in a room meeting airborne infection isolation ventilation requirements. The paper will highlight the engineering issues encountered in accommodating the desire to handle these surgical cases based on experience at a hospital with a high number of tuberculosis (TB) referrals. Prior hospital procedures will be reviewed before proceeding with the discussion of the design solution for the hospital’s 15 new operating rooms. The solutions presented will demonstrate how the objectives from the guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and AIA were met while achieving the hospital’s desire to operate on these special cases within the surgical suite.

Paper from IAQ 2004 -- Critical Operations: Supporting the Healing Environment Through IAQ Performance Standards

Units: Dual