• Fen-Fang Chung, Hui-Ling Lin, Hsueh-Erh Liu, Angela Shin-Yu Lien, Hsiu-Feng Hsiao, Lan-Ti Chou, and Gwo-Hwa Wan.
• Department of Nursing, Chang Gung University of Science and Technology.
• Respir Care. 2015 Jan 1;60(1):30-7.

BackgroundThe investigation of hospital air quality has been conducted in wards, ICUs, operating theaters, and public areas. Few studies have assessed air quality in respiratory care centers (RCCs), especially in mechanically ventilated patients with open suctioning.MethodsThe RCC air quality indices (temperature, relative humidity, levels of CO2, total volatile organic compounds, particulate matter [PM], bacteria, and fungi) were monitored over 1 y. The air around the patient's head was sampled during open suctioning to examine the probability of bioaerosol exposure affecting health-care workers.ResultsThis investigation found that the levels of indoor air pollutants (CO2, PM, bacteria, and fungi) were below the indoor air quality standard set by the Taiwan Environmental Protection Agency. Meanwhile, the levels of total volatile organic compounds sometimes exceeded the indoor air quality standard, particularly in August. The identified bacterial genera included Micrococcus species, Corynebacterium species, and Staphylococcus species, and the predominant fungal genera included yeast, Aspergillus species, Scopulariopsis species, and Trichoderma species. Additionally, airborne PM2.5, PM1, and bacteria were clearly raised during open suctioning in mechanically ventilated patients. This phenomenon demonstrated that open suctioning may increase the bacterial exposure risk of health-care workers.ConclusionsRCC air quality deserves long-term monitoring and evaluation. Health-care workers must implement self-protection strategies during open suctioning to ensure their occupational health and safety in health-care settings.Copyright © 2015 by Daedalus Enterprises.

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