Evaluation of the Performance of the Ventilation-filtration System for Operating Rooms at the Protestant Hospital of Mbouo-Bandjoun (VENTI-MBOUO)

This research project is evaluating an air filtration system that is supposed to be adapted to the context, highly efficient and affordable. This air filtration system for operating theatres has been in use at Mbouo-Bandjoun hospital in Cameroon since 2019, with no incidents recorded to date.

In this proposed research project, only the ventilation system will be tested technically and microbiologically; no research will be carried out directly on patients or with patient participation.

Therefore, the research project is not expected to have any impact on patients. Technical test data will be evaluated retrospectively, while microbiological data will be collected prospectively without patient contact.

The air filtration system was installed in the OT of the Protestant hospital Mbouo (Hôpital Protestant de Mbouo) in 2019. Before the installation of the air filtrations system, the OT used window-based ventilation which seems, besides wall-mounted air conditioning systems, quite common in OT in Cameroonian hospitals.

The air filtrations system has been in regular use for 3.5 years before the first maintenance could be performed, due to COVID travel restrictions. This maintenance and technical measurement took place in November 2023.

Microbial samples in the OT were collected in Mai 2024. The data of the maintenance and technical measurements of the air filtration system are retrospectively used for this study. The parameters that are extracted from the maintenance documents are: particle counts, temperature, humidity, air velocity and pressure differences at various measurement points inside and outside the OT as well as inside the air filtration device.

To study the microbial burden in the OT, a prospective evaluation was carried out: In a time slot when no surgical procedures were planned, a passive sampling with settling plates was carried out.