How Do Cleanrooms Work in the Medical Industry?

Cleanrooms are controlled environments designed to minimize contamination from particles, microbes, and chemical vapors. In the medical field, they are vital for ensuring patient safety during procedures, protecting sensitive experiments, and manufacturing sterile pharmaceuticals.

While sterile rooms aim for surface sterility, cleanrooms provide continuous, dynamic control of airborne particles and microorganisms. This is achieved through High-Efficiency Particulate Air (hepa) or Ultra-Low Penetration Air (ULPA) filtration, constant filtered air supply, strict pressure differentials, rigorous protocols for personnel entry/gowning, and meticulous cleaning.

medical cleanrooms must strictly control airborne particles and microbial counts. Key requirements include advanced air filtration (HEPA/ULPA), maintaining positive/negative air pressure relative to adjacent areas, precise control of temperature and humidity, strict personnel gowning and hygiene procedures, and easily cleanable surfaces.

Hospital operating rooms (ORs), especially for orthopedics or transplants, often require iso class 5 (equivalent to Class 100) cleanliness at the surgical site. Laminar airflow hoods or entire rooms use HEPA-filtered air flowing unidirectionally over the patient to protect the open wound from airborne contaminants.

Certain Intensive Care Units (ICUs), like those for immunocompromised patients (e.g., bone marrow transplant), may utilize protective environments meeting iso class 7 (Class 10,000) standards. Positive pressure prevents contaminated air from entering, and HEPA filtration continuously cleans the air supplied to the room.