[Performances of different types of airflow system in operating theatre].

Aim: To compare the performance of various types of airflow system in operating theatre.

Methods: Besançon Hospital has three types of airflow system in operating theatre: laminar (unidirectional) flow, stabilized flow and turbulent flow. We have compared performances of these airflow systems during operations by evaluating several indicators: number of airborne particles, microbial contamination, kinetics of decontamination, rate of mixing and an index of functionality.

Results: At rest, performances of stabilized flow are close to these of laminar flow. On the other hand, during operations, the laminar flow is the single airflow system to reach the class B10.

Conclusion: Our study suggest that laminar flow should be used for prosthetic orthopaedic surgery. However, clinical studies are needed to confirm the superiority of laminar airflow systems in operating theatre.