When selecting a particle counter, it is necessary to consider what building automation network it can communicate with. Examining the available options helps to ensure the particle counter will connect to your existing network.

Building on the strengths of the Setra FLEX, FLEX-RC adds control capability to the monitor and alarming functions. With the added control capability, FLEX-RC can help manage an environment in a number of ways.

Nosocomial infections (also known as Hospital-Acquired Infections, Healthcare-Associated Infections, or HAIs) can result in otherwise avoidable extended hospital stays, readmittance, follow-up treatments, and even death. HAIs can often spread via airborne transmission, which emphasizes the need for proper room pressurization to contain hazardous particles. Operating rooms (ORs) are an area where patients are especially at risk for contracting infections. 2.5µm particles are an important leading indicator of the potential presence of contaminants that could put the patient at risk. The best opportunity to manage the risk of infections is by limiting 2.5µm particles in a space.

Many HVAC, critical environments, and industrial applications employ temperature and relative humidity (T/RH) sensors. But exactly how many T/RH sensors does an application require? It is difficult to spec the exact requirements for certain applications for a variety of reasons. No two applications are identical, and thus no two spaces require the same number of T/RH sensors. As each application is unique, the number of sensors needed depends on several factors, including:

Inhaling airborne particles can put both critical patients and healthcare staff at risk for detrimental health issues. Controlling these particles is necessary for protecting both staff and occupants of nearby rooms from exposure to infectious particles. To maintain safety in a hospital, it is crucial to monitor both differential pressure and particle counts in anterooms.

Critical environments can have a variety of layouts depending on the purpose of the space. Frequently, these critical environments will have a multi-room setup. Some examples of a multi-room setup are an isolation room and anteroom or a cleanroom, gown up room, and clean storage area.

Requirements and regulations are becoming ever more stringent for critical environments, making finding the right products for a space increasingly difficult. Not only must the specs of the product be considered, but the supplier must be taken into account as well. Shopping around with the intent to purchase from a variety of vendors takes a significant amount of time and effort. In addition to wasted time and effort, buying from multiple vendors comes associated with a number of risks and drawbacks, including:

• Incompatible hardware
• Incompatible software
• Minimal or disjointed tech support
• Inability to integrate products
• Installation and operational issues

Hot-wire anemometers are widely used throughout hospitals. Although their initial accuracy remains undisputed, a hot-wire anemometer's accuracy is not stable over time. Hot-wire anemometers must be cleaned at regular intervals to remain an accurate and effective solution for monitoring room pressure. Without regular cleaning and calibration, the accuracy of a hot-wire anemometer decreases significantly over time.

Proper room pressure and airflow are crucial for maintaining critical environments in hospitals. When talking about pressurized hospital spaces, the most well-known are operating rooms and isolation rooms. However, these are not the only two pressurized spaces within a hospital. ASHRAE Standard 170 details 60 different types of rooms in a hospital requiring pressurization. Without proper room pressurization, hospitals put their accreditation by the Joint Commission in jeopardy.

In a hospital environment, alarm fatigue is an increasingly prevalent issue. Alarm fatigue is the sensory overload when clinicians are exposed to an excessive number of alarms; this can result in staff ignoring alarms, particularly if different devices employ similar sounds or frequencies. Nuisance alarms are those not representative of a patient in danger but come from devices that don't allow configuration for non-critical circumstances.