The effects of humidification on hospital superbugs being explored by the UK’s top academics heralds the first such studies in the UK says Dave Mortimer, National Sales Manager for Vapac Humidity Control.
Researchers at Bradford University have started a two year research programme examining the effects of humidity on hospital super bugs such as E.Coli and have constructed one of the world’s largest biological test chambers to carry out their investigations.
Humidification has long been recognised as necessary and there are countless papers and articles written extolling its virtue but there has been no significant scientific research carried out in the UK. There have been various papers looking at its effects in a surgical environment but not how it may be used to combat infection on hospital wards.
Researchers at Bradford and other leading northern universities are modelling the impact of humidity on bacteria and looking at the impact of changes in room humidity on different pathogens and how humidity might be used to control the spread of infection via contaminated surfaces and air in hospital wards.
Air quality in hospitals is a very complex issue. Contaminants can be airborne; attracted to dust due to static; or carried by visitors; as well as originate inside the hospital and these threaten the quality of the environment. Ventilation and filtration provides a means of combating contaminants by diluting their concentration. A high standard of air quality can be achieved by ensuring proper ventilation, adequate filtration and humidity management.
For many surgical procedures humidity is essential and cannot take place without it, ophthalmic surgery where the eye needs to be kept moist throughout the procedure, accounts for 7% of all surgery in the UK. Effects of Humidity on Posterior Lens Opacification During Fluid Air Exchange published in the United States says that the use of humidified air promotes better visualisation and enhances surgical performance.
There are many other procedures that require precisely controlled humidity including invasive surgery when tissues start to deteriorate if there is not enough moisture in the atmosphere.
The NHS has recognised the importance of humidification for quite sometime as bodies can lose as much fluid in cold environments as in a hot one. In the ‘Water for Health Hydration Best Practice Toolkit for Hospitals and Healthcare’ leaflet it states that “In some indoor environments there may be a risk of low humidity, for example if there is a poor air conditioning system…This can dry the air to unacceptable levels…The relative humidity for an office should be between 40-70% with the lower end being the most comfortable in warmer offices.
Only last year the Spanish paper ‘La Vanguardia’ reported that 619 employees were allegedly suffering from muscle lesions in Catalunya as a direct result of static build up in the work environment and that adequate humidification could have prevented the problem.
Humidification systems are already present in operating theatres where the control of air movement and humidity is essential. Theatres by their very nature have to be regarded as clean rooms and the cleanest area is working above floor level at the height of the operating table and at elbow height of the surgeon. Correctly balanced humidity helps keep contaminants at low levels.
Consulting directly with manufacturers who are experts in humidification, hospitals will have access to a vast untapped resource of knowledge.
Vapac has developed selection software to guide FM’s and Health Estate Managers through the selection process - psychrometric charts are not the friendliest of tools to work with – and is providing demo disks and a 30-day free trial from the Eaton-Williams stands at the Energy Exhibition in Birmingham (September 10-11th) and the London HEVAR (September 24-25th Royal Horticultural Halls).