The hospital environment poses risks for infections for several reasons: there is a high concentration of sick individuals and infection sources; work activities can spread infections; and overuse of disinfectants and antibiotics leads to bacterial resistance. Hospital infections pose risks to patient health and increase costs, and can spread to other patients, hospital staff, and visitors. Possible sources of infection transmission include contaminated air/ventilation systems, dust, human particles from staff/patients, soil, water, and construction materials. To reduce infections, hospitals must ensure good air quality through adequate ventilation to replace air, control temperature/humidity, and remove microorganisms and powders. The health staff are also an important source of microbial contamination, so reducing risks from staff

1. HOSPITAL'S
INFECTION
HOSPITAL ENVIRONMENT
Ilaria Vescera

2. The hospital should be
considered a particular
risk environment for
infections because:

3. • There is a high concentration in the same
environment of many individuals, including so
many sick, and therefore a high presence of
infection sources
• Work activities can promote broadcasting
• The use of disinfectants and antibiotics leads
to the development of bacterial resistance
exponentially

4. Hospital Infection is a
complication that is:

5. • a risk to the health of the subject
• increased costs and capabilities of hospitals
• a danger to other hospitalized patients
• a danger for family members of hospitalized
patients

6. Possible sources of
infection transmitted by air
• support staff, infectious disease sufferers in action:
Flügge droplets
• Contaminated air or ventilation systems: dirty filters
• contaminated dust: floor, furniture ...... ..
• other human air particles: hair, textile fibers, skin
scales ......
FROM THE INSIDE OF THE STRUCTURE

7. • soil: habitats of some pathogenic agents present in the
faeces of animals
• water: cooling towers contaminated by pathogens
• degradable organic materials contaminated by pathogens
• dust from buildings under construction
FROM THE OUTSIDE OF THE STRUCTURE

8. The health goals to achieve in a
hospital environment are two:
• the thermal comfort of those
who are visiting, working or
visitor
• the quality of air (such as
purity and as a factor
hindering contamination)

9. Air quality
Atmospheric air is the container and vehicle
of any form of contamination
The air alterations in the environments have
been studied since 1800 by Pettenkofer
and Flügge and can be distinguished in
three categories and are essentially related
to human respiration

10. Carl Georg
Friedrich
Wilhelm
Flügge
Hannover, 1847 September
12,-Berlin, 1923 December 10,
he was a bacteriologist and a
German hygienist.

11. Flügge is known mainly for research into the diffusion
in the environment of oral cavity microorganisms
through cough and sneezing, with the theorization
and discovery of so-called "Flügge droplets", saliva
microbes (water vapor) that can remain suspended in
the air to transport, disperse into aerosols, infectious
agents of many diseases. His work has also been
crucial for the prophylaxis of infections caused by the
above-mentioned microorganisms and has given an
important boost to the actual introduction of sanitary
masks in surgery.
Flügge is also reminded of research on transmission,
not only by air, of infectious diseases such as malaria,
cholera and tuberculosis.

12. MICROBIOLOGICAL
ALTERATIONS
PHYSICAL
ALTERATIONS
CHEMICAL
ALTERATIONS
an average adult consumes
400 / 500L of O2 and enters
into the surrounding
environment about 400L CO2
are related to the temperature
and humidity values
as in all confined
environments the microbial
population is primarily
derived from the people

13. THE HEALTH AND SUPERVISOR
PERSONNEL CONSTITUTES SAFETY
THE MOST IMPORTANT SPIRIT OF
MICROBIC CONTAMINATION OF THE
HOSPITAL ENVIRONMENT AND
FROM WHICH THE SUBJECT HAS
RECOGNIZED THE MAJOR RISK TO
CONTRARY TO HOSPITAL INFECTION

14. That said takes account of the need to ensure
that airspace is adequately replaced by
ventilated environments by means of appropriate
ventilation, ie renewal, to prevent excessive air
heating and humidification, to maintain a
constant oxygen rate and similar to that
atmospheric and to remove from the
environment confined microorganisms and
powders, so as to create those conditions of
microclimatic well-being that contribute to the
overall health of the environment itself