Hospitals across the United States are increasingly evaluating advanced airflow technologies as they seek to reduce surgical site infection risks and modernize operating room environments. Advanced ventilation technologies are drawing increasing attention from healthcare owners, engineers, and contractors.
One technology gaining traction is the Opragon ultra-clean airflow system from Avidicare, a temperature-controlled airflow (TcAF) solution designed to create a more sterile, safer operating room environment.
Growing Demand for Advanced Operating Room Airflow Technology
Kevin Clare is Vice President at Coward Environmental Systems, Inc. (CESI) and heads up the Life Sciences Modular division. He reports that interest in the technology has accelerated significantly as hospitals look for alternatives to traditional operating room airflow approaches. “One of the things hospitals really like about the system is that it is true state-of-the-art technology,” Clare explains. “The system produces purified air throughout the entire room, including around surgical implements and implant devices during surgery.”
CESI is currently supporting a major healthcare project in Lynchburg, Virginia, where a new ground-up hospital addition will include twelve operating rooms utilizing Avidicare’s Opragon system.
According to Clare, the project team first became interested in the technology after the project’s mechanical engineering firm, CMTA, encountered the system at an industry trade show.
“They had seen the product at a convention and became very interested in it,” Clare says. “We conducted a lunch-and-learn for their engineering team, and they ultimately recommended the system to the owners.”
New Technology Within Reach
The Lynchburg project represents a major milestone not only because of its size, but because it reflects a broader shift occurring within healthcare construction.
“For years, hospitals relied heavily on traditional laminar airflow systems or extremely expensive modular operating room approaches,” Clare explains. “What people are starting to realize is there are newer technologies available that can create more sterile operating rooms without some of the limitations and costs associated with older systems.”
Unlike traditional laminar airflow systems that force air downward at a fixed velocity, Avidicare’s TcAF system uses slightly cooler HEPA-filtered air that naturally descends because of density differences. “The system uses slightly cooler HEPA-filtered air to create a gravity-assisted downward airflow pattern rather than relying solely on high-velocity forced air,” Clare explains. “That allows the system to maintain more sterile air conditions throughout the room while reducing recirculating currents.”
The system has also gained attention as healthcare systems and engineering teams evaluate alternative pathways compliant with ASHRAE 170 requirements.
Published third-party testing also validates the efficacy of Avidicare’s TcAF systems, demonstrating how Opragon and other systems like it minimize airborne contamination both inside and outside the sterile field in operating suites.
A Larger Sterile Environment
Clare says one of the major advantages is that the system creates a larger clean air environment inside the operating room compared to conventional systems.
“With many traditional systems, areas exist outside the primary protection zone where airflow performance becomes less predictable,” he says. “With this system, you’re creating a hygienic environment throughout the entire room, including areas behind the medical professionals.”
The Lynchburg project is also notable because of the complexity involved in coordinating modern operating room infrastructure. “We’re seeing growing interest across the country,” Clare says. “Hospitals want ultra-cleanrooms, better flexibility, and systems that make sense financially. Avidicare checks a lot of those boxes.”
Healthcare owners are increasingly receptive to systems that not only improve air quality but also offer long-term operational and construction advantages. “The possible reduction of surgical site infections is obviously one of the biggest drivers,” he says. “Every hospital wants to know how low they can get those numbers.”
A Partner in Engineering
The new facility includes extensive medical equipment, lighting systems, boom supports, and structural elements competing for limited ceiling space. Clare’s team at Life Science Modular has been working closely with the project team to help navigate those coordination challenges.
“We’re helping guide the room layouts and ceiling coordination so everything fits properly and functions the way it should,” Clare says. “That’s one of the advantages of having extensive operating room experience. You know where the problems are likely to happen before construction reaches that point.”
Want to Learn More?
As healthcare systems continue evaluating alternatives to conventional operating room ventilation strategies, projects like the Lynchburg expansion may reflect a broader national movement toward advanced ultra-clean airflow technologies.
CESI’s Life Science Modular team has decades of experience building and retrofitting critical healthcare spaces with state of the art equipment. To learn more about Avidicare’s temperature-controlled airflow technology, Opragon, and CESI’s experience providing airflow engineering for healthcare clients, contact Life Science Modular today.