The In-Depth Guide to HEPA Filters in Hospitals, Medical Offices, & Clinics
Adequate air filtration is a must-have for all medical facilities. There are often strict regulations regarding air quality in hospitals, doctor’s offices, research facilities, and dental offices to prevent dangerous pathogens from infecting individuals. Without proper air filtration, there is no way to prevent such pathogens from contaminating staff and patients, and sometimes, the general public with a variety of diseases. For this reason, HEPA filters are often required for most medical facilities.
How Does a HEPA Filter Work in a Medical Environment?
The air in surgical facilities and hospitals must be free of any harmful viruses and bacteria. Ensuring the air remains free of these microbes is a must, and for many hospitals and medical facilities, HEPA filters are trusted to keep the air clean. Antimicrobial HEPA filters are the most common choice, primarily because they have the ability to kill dangerous microbes on contact. HEPA filters are often used in the following manners in medical settings:
Surgical Suites
One of the most critical needs of hospitals is to protect medical personnel and patients by filtering the air of operating rooms. HEPA filters remove airborne contaminants that could compromise the health of staff performing important procedures or patients when their internal organs are exposed in surgical operations. By helping to reduce hospital acquired infections (HAI), HEPA filters can also aid hospitals in avoiding financial repercussions caused by their performance falling below industry benchmarks.
Incubators
HEPA filters help keep newborns safe from a number of bacteria and viruses. Since newborns often have weaker immune systems, HEPA filters are necessary to keep them healthy. They are especially important in the NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit). HEPA filters ensure the air flowing into incubators is clean and free of microbes.
Warming Beds
HEPA filters are often placed inside patient beds to ensure contaminants from the warming systems do not make contact with the air. Warming beds usually have closed-circuit forced air systems to keep patients at a reasonable temperature, and using HEPA filters, these forced air systems prevent dangerous particles from reaching the patient’s bed.
Cleaning Machines
Using HEPA filters in conjunction with daily cleaning supplies can improve air quality inside medical facilities. HEPA filters are often produced for cleaning tools such as sweeper scrubbers, vacuums, and air purifiers to keep surfaces free of microbes.
Medical Laboratories
Scientists and medical professionals work with dangerous pathogens on a regular basis. To prevent contamination, these individuals rely on HEPA filters to remove microbes and pathogens in the air. HEPA filters are often required for such environments by law.
The type of HEPA filtration used in such settings may vary.
The Importance of UV Light Filtration
Using HEPA filters in hospitals is common, but regular HEPA filters may not be enough to sterilize dangerous microbes. Many facilities also employ a UV light air filtration system to combat germs and bacteria effectively. Only certain UV lights can be used to decontaminate air particles, so medical facilities must utilize germicidal light. As long as the correct spectrum of light is used, UV can be used to further purify the air in medical environments.
UV Light Air Filtration System
UV HEPA systems can be installed to work in concert with a building’s HVAC system. An in-duct UV system uses light to disinfect air as it cycles through return ducts. Another type of system, which utilizes a coil sterilization approach, uses UV-C lamps to target specific components such as cooling coils, filters, and condensation pans. This prevents microbial growth in harder-to-reach places such as seams, edges, and grooves.
Additionally, portable UV-C air purification units can be installed in critical spaces and moved around, as needed.
Learn More About UV Air Disinfection
Need Help With Your Medical Filtration?
If you are interested in hospital air purification systems, HEPA filters, and/or UV Disinfection Systems for your facility or clinic, R.P. Fedder can help you. We offer a variety of HVAC and medical filter solutions (including custom designed medical oem filters) geared towards keeping your space free of dangerous pathogens. Please provide us with information about your use case and one of our team members will be in touch with you soon.