Supplier of industrial humidifiers, Humidity Solutions, has warned that when assessing operating theatre humidity control requirements, ‘engineers need to be sure they have fully understood both the engineering and the clinical considerations’.
“HTM 03 – 01 Part A, Clause 2.19, says it is acceptable for humidity in operating theatres to swing uncontrolled between 35% and 60% saturation,” observes the company’s Dave Mortimer. “This is generally interpreted as there being no requirement for humidity control because the flammable gases are no longer used, so sparks are less of an issue. However, the guidelines also state that humidifiers should be selected to achieve 40% saturation at 20˚C during external winter design conditions. These criteria also mean that any humidifier already fitted needs to be running if the ambient temperature is below 6.5˚C. It also needs to be borne in mind that dry air will increase the rate of evaporation from tissue during an operation, thereby exacerbating dehydration problems. Thus the engineering criteria can have an impact on clinical outcomes.”
Humidity Solutions offers a wide range of humidification and dehumidification solutions, backed by free site surveys and turnkey project delivery.
