Question

What are the temperature and humidity maintained in an OT?

(a) T = 20 – 26 ℃, H = 20% – 30% air exchanges = 7 – 8 per hour

(b) T = 18 – 22 ℃, H = 40% – 50% air exchanges = 10 – 12 per hour

(c) T = 10 – 12 ℃, H = 10% – 30% air exchanges = 9 – 10 per hour

(d) T = 30 – 35 ℃, H = 50% – 60% air exchanges = 15 – 20 per hour

I got this question in a national level competition.

This is a very interesting question from Organization of Theaters in portion Anaesthesia of Clinical Science

Answer 1

Correct option is (b) T = 18 – 22 ℃, H = 40% – 50% air exchanges = 10 – 12 per hour

Best explanation: An OT is normally cool without being cold. The humidity and temperature need to be maintained so that the body does not go into any other kind of shock. Once under anaesthesia, the normal functions like homeostasis of the body can also get disrupted thus an external maintenance is needed. It is important for fresh air to keep circulating in the room so that the risk of infection goes down. The number of exchanges can’t be too high to avoid cooling nor can they be too low or else infectious particles may settle down.