Differential Pressure Gauges from Sensocon can be used to ensure that CDC negative pressure requirements for airborne infection isolation rooms are met.

Series S2000 Series A1 Series A2 Series A4

With the recent developments, health care facilities from hospitals to assisted living communities are working diligently to take steps to prepare for what is already here and what may be to come. One of the major concerns when treating patients with airborne infectious diseases, is to have the proper environmental controls in place for airborne infection isolation rooms (AII or AIIR). These types of isolation rooms are negatively pressured rooms which causes air to move from the higher pressure areas to lower pressure areas thereby keeping the infection from leaving the isolation rooms and infecting other people. The air in the isolation rooms is then filtered to remove contaminants before being exhausted.

According to the CDC Guidelines for Environmental Infection Control in Health-Care Facilities, negative pressure areas such as airborne infection isolation rooms (AII, AIIR) should maintain a continuous negative pressure of at least 2.5 Pa (0.01" w.c.) in relation to the corridor. The CDC recommends the room pressure be monitored with audible manometers or smoke tubes at the door or with permanently installed visual monitoring mechanisms such as products available from Sensocon. Other recommendations from the CDC include:

  • Ensure that rooms are well-sealed by properly constructing windows, doors, and air-intake and exhaust ports
  • Install self-closing devices on all AII room exit doors
  • Provide ventilation to ensure ≥ 12 ACH for renovated rooms and new rooms, and ≥ 6 ACH for existing AII rooms
  • Direct exhaust air to the outside, away from air-intake and populated areas.  If this is not practical, air from the room can be recirculated after passing through a HEPA filter.

Differential Pressure Gauges from Sensocon that can be used to monitor isolation room pressure include:

For additional information on the CDC Guidlines for Environmental Infection Control in Health-Care Facilities please visit https://www.cdc.gov/infectioncontrol/pdf/guidelines/environmental-guidelines-P.pdf