2021 Volume 1 Pages 1-8
Since 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has been persisting worldwide, including Japan. At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan, many factors related to the route of transmission were unknown. Starting in early March 2020, our ultrasound and physiology center investigated patient behavior and took immediate action based on the assumption of the possibility of airborne transmission. Infection control within the ultrasound department is important to prevent hospital-associated transmission of COVID-19. To clarify the state of ventilation in ultrasound exam rooms, as an index of ventilation rate, the carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration in our exam rooms was measured. It was found that even in a hospital equipped with the latest ventilation system, the CO2 concentration in the ultrasound exam room increased immediately after the examination and took at least 15 minutes to return to the concentration observed before the examination. In particular, the exams involving speech and the number of people in the exam room significantly affected the air quality in the exam room. From the viewpoint of infection control, it is necessary to continue to provide effective ventilation in the future.
