Airflow Path Matters Patient Room HVAC

Air is the primary carrier of heat, moisture, contaminants, and airborne contaminants in health-care facilities such as patient rooms, isolation rooms, and operating rooms. Therefore, the flow path of supply air plays an important role in determining the air velocities, air temperatures, concentration of contaminants, and flow path of airborne pathogens in these spaces. These factors, in turn, determine the thermal comfort of occupants, indoor air quality, distribution of surface contamination, and potential for transmission of airborne pathogens in a room.