New Ventilation Standards Raise the Bar for Healthcare Facilities

In June and July 2008, ANSI/ASHRAE/ASHE Standard 170 was approved by the sponsoring organizations, establishing stringent new requirements for ventilation and monitoring for healthcare facilities.

The standard, available at www.ashrae.org, covers compliance requirements, systems and equipment in detail, and provides a comprehensive Table 7-1 that covers design parameters for all types of hospital rooms. Every space, from operating rooms to the janitor’s closet, has defined requirements for pressurization, air exchanges, air exhaust and recirculation, temperature and relative humidity.

In addition, the standard includes specific monitoring requirements for all Airborne Infection Isolation (AII) rooms (rooms for the isolation of patients infected with organisms spread by airborne droplet nuclei less than 5 µm in diameter):

Engineers, designers and facilities owners are looking for solutions.

Both the requirements of ASHRAE Standard 170 and the refusal of Medicare and some private insurers to pay for costs incurred through “medical errors,” such as hospital-acquired infections, have hospital designers, engineers and administrators urgently seeking new ways to manage and measure indoor environmental quality.

Fortunately, there are solutions available. Advanced technologies from Ingenuity IEQ provide reliable and cost-effective ways to control and monitor pressure, temperature, humidity and airborne particles at both the room and building level, and keep all medical personnel informed of these and other essential operating parameters for key areas of the hospital.

Making a Difference with Integrated Solutions

Demand-controlled ventilation protects patients, staff and visitors.

Theris™ airflow control systems, available in Michigan and Ohio from Ingenuity IEQ, are designed specifically for the ventilation requirements of critical healthcare spaces. Based on over two decades of experience, we believe Theris systems are the only technology that can accurately control airflow and meet the requirements of ASHRAE Standard 170 for healthcare. In addition, Theris valves can significantly decrease operating costs and carbon emissions, helping healthcare facilities save money and obtain LEED™ points.

Monitor critical environments with the touch of a finger.

ASHRAE Standard 170 also requires visible, permanent monitoring of critical room conditions. This challenge can be met by Critical Room Control (CRC) technologies available from Ingenuity IEQ. The password-protected, microprocessor-based CRC units control and monitor room pressure, temperature, humidity and other environmental factors. The primary Room Management Display gives a clear indication of room pressure status and actual differential pressure, while the secondary display gives current room condition, e.g., “Infectious,” “Being Cleared,” and “Clear.” A touch-screen controller at the nurse’s station gives staff the ability to actively monitor the conditions in multiple rooms at the same time, as well as the ability to switch to a detail screen for individual rooms at will.

Ventilation control and monitoring for the whole hospital.

To achieve facility-wide ventilation control that is cost-effective, accurate and reliable, there is really only one option: the OptiNet™ Facility Monitoring System from Aircuity®. Healthcare managers can rely on the centralized sensing architecture of OptiNet to continuously monitor air cleanliness, airborne particulates, humidity, CO2, and VOCs. By integrating this data with the building management system, OptiNet dramatically reduces energy consumption while maintaining optimal indoor environmental quality. OptiNet can also help building owners attain up to eight LEED™ points.

Learn more about how you can make your healthcare facility healthier, cleaner, greener and more energy-efficient.

Theris valves, Critical Room Controls and OptiNet are just three of the advanced technologies that make up the portfolio of integrated solutions available from Ingenuity IEQ. Our extensive experience in applying these technologies to hospitals, laboratories and other critical use facilities gives us the expertise to evaluate your current or planned facility and make recommendations to help you build healthier, more sustainable indoor environments.