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August, 25 2020

Post-Construction Operating Room Disinfection

Operating Room HVAC: Last, But Certainly Not Least

Hospital Surgical Suite Construction

A local hospital (part of a regional hospital system) needed to perform significant construction on their operating rooms and surgical suites, calling on an external contractor to complete the work. In an effort to return the modern surgical suites back into operation as soon as possible, the hospital set a firm deadline that the team complete the disinfection within a span of two days to accommodate census and ensure minimal interruption to a full surgical schedule. Furthermore, the hospital requested that half of the operating suites remain open in the evening to accommodate emergency surgeries.

HVAC Duct System Cleanup

After the completion of the project, the original contractor began performing bulk cleanup of the surgical suite, including the HVAC duct systems, to ensure the clearance of any dust and airborne particles that may have settled from the original labor. Regardless of the site, construction is invasive; remodels and renovations often involve the moving of long-standing equipment, breaking seals into contaminated areas, physically impacting surfaces that agitate dust, and running ventilation that can circulate foreign particles. While most common areas offer leniency when it comes to exposing occupants to these particles, their existence in sensitive areas (such as operating rooms) can spell catastrophe, wreaking havoc on exposed tissue and sterile surfaces.

Disinfection of Operating Room HVAC

During the biomass cleanup, the Cousino Medical Services, a partner company of Fleet Response, team was called in as the final step in finalizing the project and re-opening the suites to staff and patients. This meant that Cousino would be forced to follow closely behind the contractors to ensure a seamless transition into the next phase of cleanup, minimizing overall downtime and maximizing the results of decontamination.

With the handheld precision of the SteraMist Surface Units and the submicron size of ionized Hydrogen Peroxide (iHP) particles, the team was able to follow behind the contractors to deliver a terminal top-down clean of the connected operating room HVAC system. Additionally, the surrounding common areas and corridors used by both Cousino and the contractors were just as easily disinfected. As a result, Cousino was able to match the pace of the contractors while meeting the two-day deadline to deliver the best possible outcomes to the client the following day.

“BECAUSE EVEN THE PATHWAYS USED BY US AND OTHER CONTRACTORS WERE DISINFECTED NIGHTLY, THIS HELPED GIVE OUR CLIENT THE BEST POSSIBLE OUTCOMES FOR SURGERIES TO COME THE NEXT DAY.

Cousino Medical Services