Numerical investigation of the impact of warming blankets on the performance of ventilation systems in the operating room

Patient warming is an efficient approach to preventing hypothermia during surgeries. Hypothermia increases the risk of postoperative infections, bleeding, transfusion demand, prolonging recovery, drug metabolism duration and vasoconstriction. Although use blankets addresses problem a decrease in patient’s core body temperature, concern remains that heat emitted by these can disturb supplied clean air ventilation system thus increase contamination level airborne particles.The main purpose this study numerically investigate impact using on performance two common systems – unidirectional flow mixing operating room. The effect forced-air conductive distribution bacteria-carrying particles airflow behaviour were simulated results showed applying blanket considerably increased average temperature at wound area under surgical drape. Thus, be more effective than patient surgery. However, contaminated resulted considerable concentration surface.