When a patient contracts an infection in the hospital, he or she requires additional treatment and a lengthier stay. While some patients have died from HAIs that do not respond to treatment by antibiotics, HAIs may be preventable. Healthcare facilities and workers can take steps to help prevent the transmission of germs, and patients and their families can take actions to help reduce their susceptibility.

In addition to improved hygiene and appropriate antibiotic use, some environmental testing procedures are specifically designed to help prevent surgical site infection (SSI) and ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP).

SSI prevention includes undertaking periodic air exchange rate and positive room pressure measurements. Air exchange is the time it takes to replace the stagnant room air with fresh outside air. Positive room pressure ensures that the air from the outside corridor does not flow into the clean OR environment.

Ventilator patients are among the most immunosuppressed in a hospital. VAP prevention includes periodic contaminant testing (particulates and moisture) of the piped oxygen and medical air systems. Ventilators are supplied by a mixture of these two pressurized gases at up to 170 LPM.

Look at the infographic below to learn more about the topic, and what can be done to help prevent HAIs.