Negative-Pressure and Well-Ventilated Rooms; Bacterial and Viral Filters to the Expiratory Circuit; Personal Protective Equipment for Health Care Workers

Abstract

Prevention of hospital infection is preferable to treatment in terms of both patient outcomes and costs. One potential source of contamination is the air inside the hospital. There is growing evidence that airborne pathogens that cause some nosocomial infections are seeding widespread environmental contamination, thereby promoting infection in immunocompromised patients. Bacterial and viral filters to the expiratory circuit are recommended for use during mechanical ventilation to prevent cross-infection when breathing systems are used for more than one patient. These important measures to help prevent transmission of hospital infections had hygiene equipment including gloves, gowns, masks, and eye protection.