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8.2 Additional Room-Specific Requirements

Guidelines for Design and Construction of Outpatient Facilities 2018 of Pennsylvania > 8 Space Ventilation-Outpatient Spaces > 8.2 Additional Room-Specific Requirements

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8.2.1 Airborne Infection Isolation (AII) Rooms

Ventilation for AII rooms shall meet the following requirements whenever an infectious patient occupies the room:

Each AII room shall comply with requirements of Tables 6.4, 6.7.2, and 8.1. AII rooms shall have a permanently installed device and/or mechanism to constantly monitor the differential air pressure between the room (when occupied by patients with a suspected airborne infectious disease) and the corridor, whether or not there is an anteroom. A local visual means shall be provided to indicate whenever negative differential pressure is not maintained.
All air from the AII room shall be exhausted directly to the outdoors.
Exception to 8.2.1(b): AII rooms that are retrofitted from standard patient rooms from which it is impractical to exhaust directly outdoors may be provided with recirculated air from the room's exhaust on the condition that the air first passes through a HEPA filter.
All exhaust air from the AII rooms, associated anterooms, and associated toilet rooms shall be discharged directly to the outdoors without mixing with exhaust air from any other non-AII room or exhaust system.
Exhaust air grilles or registers in the patient room shall be located directly above the patient bed, on the ceiling or on the wall near the head of the bed, unless it can be demonstrated that such a location is not practical.
The room envelope shall be sealed to provide a minimum differential pressure of 0.01 in. of water (2.5 Pa) across the envelope.
Differential pressure between AII rooms and adjacent spaces that are not AII rooms shall be a minimum of —0.01 in. of water (—2.5 Pa). Spaces such as the toilet room and the anteroom (if present) that are directly associated with the AII room and open directly into the AII room are not required to be designed with a minimum pressure difference from the AII room but are still required to maintain the pressure relationships to adjacent areas specified in Table 8.1.
When an anteroom is provided, the pressure relationships shall be as follows: (1) the AII room shall be at a negative pressure with respect to the anteroom, and (2) the anteroom shall be at a negative pressure with respect to the corridor.

8.2.2 Protective Environment (PE) Rooms

Ventilation for PE rooms shall meet the following requirements:

The room envelope shall be sealed to provide a minimum differential pressure of 0.01 in. of water (2.5 Pa) across the envelope.
Each PE room shall comply with the requirements of Tables 6.4, 6.7.2, and 8.1. When occupied by patients requiring a protective environment, PE rooms shall have a permanently installed device and/or mechanism to constantly monitor the differential air pressure between the room and the corridor, regardless of whether there is an anteroom. A local visual means shall be provided to indicate whenever positive differential pressure is not maintained.
Air distribution patterns within the protective environment room shall conform to the following:
1. Supply air diffusers shall be located above the patient bed unless it can be demonstrated that such a location is not practical. Diffuser design shall limit air velocity at the patient bed to reduce patient discomfort. Informative Note: See ASHRAE (2017b) in Appendix B.
2. Return/exhaust grilles or registers shall be located near the patient room door.
Differential pressure between PE rooms and adjacent spaces that are not PE rooms shall be a minimum of +0.01 in. of water (+2.5 Pa). Spaces such as the toilet room and the anteroom (if present) that are directly associated with the PE room and open directly into the PE room are not required to be designed with a minimum pressure difference from the PE room but are still required to maintain the pressure relationships to adjacent areas specified in Table 8.1.
PE rooms retrofitted from standard patient rooms may be ventilated with recirculated air, provided that air first passes through a HEPA filter and the room complies with Section 8.2.2(a) through 8.2.2(d).
When an anteroom is provided, the pressure relationships shall be as follows: (1) the PE room shall be at a positive pressure with respect to the anteroom, and (2) the anteroom shall be at a positive pressure with respect to the corridor.

8.2.3 Combination Airborne Infectious Isolation/Protective Environment (AII/PE) Rooms

Ventilation for AII/PE rooms shall meet the following requirements:

Supply air diffusers shall be located above the patient bed.
Exhaust grilles or registers shall be located near the patient room door.
The pressure relationship to adjacent areas for the required anteroom shall be one of the following:
1. The anteroom shall be at a positive pressure with respect to both the AII/PE room and the corridor or common space.
2. The anteroom shall be at a negative pressure with respect to both the AII/PE room and the corridor or common space.
AII/PE rooms shall have two permanently installed devices and/or mechanisms to constantly monitor the differential air pressure. One device and/or mechanism shall monitor the pressure differential between the AII/PE room and the anteroom. The second device and/or mechanism shall monitor the pressure differential between the anteroom and the corridor or common space. For each device and/or mechanism, a local visual means shall be provided to indicate whenever differential pressure is not maintained.