The increased incidence of infectious diseases has focused attention on means of preventing their transmission in health care settings. Control methods that are currently recommended include high-rate ventilation to the outside which necessitates expensive retrofitting of HVAC systems. Isolation methods require the dedication of treatment rooms, and are undesirable in that they confine the patient. An- alternative control strategy involving HEPA filtration and recirculation of the purified air will be developed. The novel concept of incorporating filtration components into normally used items of furniture such as a chair provides a portable, patient-friendly device that is space and cost effective and allows flexible allocation of treatment rooms. An important technological application is the use of air currents to isolate contaminants without the need for mechanical barriers. Computer modeling and full-scale flow tests will supply the information needed to arrive at an optimal design and to demonstrate compliance with CDC guidelines. The long term goals are to establish a business that supplies custom-made devices to medical facilities for environmental control.Awardee's statement of the potential commercial applications of the research:The primary product is a portable air-purification device to meet CDC guidelines for TB control in hospitals. Subsequent applications include general infection control in waiting rooms and physician's and dental offices and a means for allergy amelioration. A "smoker's chair" for containment of tobacco smoke is also envisaged.National Center for Infectious Diseases (NCID)
