![]() ![]() Have patient enter through a separate entrance to the facility (e.g., dedicated isolation entrance), if available, to avoid the reception and registration area.Initiate protocol to transfer patient to a health care facility that has the recommended infection-control capacity to properly manage the patient.Instruct the patient to keep the facemask on while in the exam room, if possible, and to change the mask if it becomes wet.Provide a facemask (e.g., procedure or surgical mask) to the patient and place the patient immediately in an exam room with a closed door.Exhaust directly to the outside or through HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Air) filtration.Provide negative pressure room with a minimum of 6 air exchanges per hour (existing facility in compliance with codes at time of construction) or 12 air changes per hour (new construction/renovation).Airborne Infection Isolation Room (AIIR).The respirator should be donned prior to room entry and removed after exiting room.Prior fit-testing that must be repeated annually and fit-check / seal-check prior to each use. Additional Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for Airborne PrecautionsĪirborne precautions are in addition to Standard Precautions Preventing airborne transmission requires personal respiratory protection and special ventilation and air handling. Airborne precautions apply to patients known or suspected to be infected with microorganisms transmitted by airborne droplet nuclei. Proportional amounts of acoustically absorptive and acoustically reflective surfaces should be appropriate to achieve greater than 25% sound absorption.Airborne precautions are required to protect against airborne transmission of infectious agents.ĭiseases requiring airborne precautions include, but are not limited to: Measles, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), Varicella (chickenpox), and Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Specific attention is required, therefore, to the design of the heating/ventilation/air-conditioning ductwork and to washable acoustic surfaces on the walls and ceilings to ensure that sound levels meet the Standard in these rooms. Glass partitions should be limited to that which is actually necessary for safe visualization. Such levels result in speech interference, annoyance, and physiologic responses typical of noise exposure for adults and infants. Turbulence attendant to high air-exchange rates can result in unacceptable levels of background noise in airborne infection isolation rooms. When not used for isolation, these rooms may be used for care of non-infectious infants and other clinical purposes. In most cases, this is ideally situated within the NICU, but in some circumstances, utilization of an airborne infection isolation room elsewhere in the hospital (e.g., in a pediatric ICU) would be suitable.Īt least one single-occupancy isolation room should be available for any infant with a suspected airborne infection. A space within the NICU should also be available to safely cohort a group of infants infected with or exposed to a common airborne pathogen. ![]() ![]() Interpretation: An airborne infection isolation room adequately designed to care for ill newborns should be available in any hospital with an NICU. An emergency communication system and remote patient monitoring capability shall be provided within the airborne infection isolation room.Īirborne infection isolation rooms shall have observation windows with internal blinds or “smart” glass for privacy. Placement of windows and other structural items shall allow for ease of operation and cleaning.Īirborne infection isolation rooms shall have a permanently installed visual mechanism to constantly monitor the pressure status of the room when occupied by a patient with an airborne infectious disease. The mechanism shall continuously monitor the direction of the airflow. Airborne infection isolation room perimeter walls, ceilings, and floors, including penetrations, shall be sealed tightly so that air does not infiltrate the environment from the outside or from other airspaces.Īirborne infection isolation rooms shall have self-closing devices on all room exit doors. Ventilation systems for isolation rooms shall be engineered to have negative air pressure with air 100% exhausted to the outside, and shall meet acoustic standards for infant rooms (see Standard 29 for specifics). A hands-free handwashing station for hand hygiene and areas for gowning and storage of clean and soiled materials shall be provided near the entrance to the room. An airborne infection isolation room shall be available for NICU infants, and shall provide a minimum of 180 square feet (16.7 square meters) of clear floor space, excluding the entry work area. ![]()
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