Disturbance of a laminar air flow caused by differently shaped surgical lights

In operating rooms with unidirectional air flow a wake is formed below the light. The influence of the geometry on the dimension of the wake and the age of air were investigated by means of validated numerical simulations as well as experimental measurements. The vertical dimension of the wake caused by the circular surgical light was 1.08m in height. With an air-permeable shape, it could be reduced to 0.38m (brim) to 0.28m (centre). A more open design increased the dilution within the recirculating area and resulted in a shorter residence time of contaminants.

Automated summary

This study investigates the influence of geometry on the size of the airflow wake and the age of air in operating rooms. The findings demonstrate that using an air-permeable shape for surgical lights can effectively reduce the dimension of the wake and increase the dilution of contaminants.