Medical Air Technology (MAT) says it is proud to have been part of the team that delivered the new £25 m treatment centre for Queen's Hospital Burton, installing two ultraclean operating theatres as part of the centre’s facilities for orthopaedic sur
The biggest development the hospital has seen in 15 years, the 4,141m², three-storey treatment centre was built using modular construction. Linked to the main hospital via a corridor, the self-contained extension means patients can be treated either in the main hospital or the treatment centre, which between them now contain all the inpatient services once spread around the site in smaller, older buildings. Centralising the facilities in this way ‘streamlines services and supports enhanced infection prevention and control’.
The treatment centre houses two MAT ECO-flow ultraclean ventilation (UCV) operating theatres, a 28-bedded ward, and an outpatient suite for orthopaedics, urology, and breast services. MAT’s scope of work in the theatres and recovery area encompassed all M&E services and a full fit-out, featuring ECO-flow UCV canopies, operating theatre lights, PACS, theatre panels, and IPS/UPS equipment. This turnkey scheme was one of many projects MAT has completed at Queen’s Hospital Burton. Sister company, MAT FM, also holds the service and maintenance contract for all the hospital’s UCV operating theatres.
Delivered via a screened or screenless canopy over the operating theatre clean zone, the MAT ultraclean ventilation system provides a method of diluting air to the level required in HTM 03-01, Specialised Ventilation for Healthcare Premises – which defines ultraclean air as that containing not more than 10 CFU/m3. Air is discharged above the operating zone, its downward displacement purging the clean zone of any contaminants and particles generated within it. The airflow in and around the clean zone also prevents particles from outside the zone from entering (entrainment).
MAT points out that HTM 03-01 confirms that the link between surgical site infection and theatre air quality is ‘well established’, when it says: ‘…ultra-clean ventilation systems (which are designed to provide a zone around the patient that is effectively free of bacteria-carrying airborne particles while the operation is in progress) have been shown to significantly reduce surgical site infection in patients undergoing large joint replacement surgery’.
MAT designs, manufactures, and installs, bespoke critical ventilation systems and turnkey project solutions for new build and refurbishment projects. The company said: As a specialist contractor with many years’ experience, we are passionately committed to improving patient protection and end-user safety in demanding clinical, research, and drug production arenas. We have extensive experience of working in live environments, and understand the challenges around delivering a project within an operational scenario.”
In addition, MAT FM provides a range service and maintenance packages for all core products and turnkey solutions offered by MAT or other suppliers, ‘ensuring equipment is maintained, serviced, and validated correctly for optimum performance’.
