Ochsner LSU Health Monroe Medical Center
Equipment:
Novel Aire Active Desiccant Dehumidification Unit
LOCATION
Monroe, LA
Challenge
Ochsner LSU Health Shreveport – Monroe Medical Center is a 244-bed hospital with a 24-hour Emergency Department.
Operating rooms need to be below 70°F with a relative humidity between 30-60% to be allowed to do surgery. Ochsner Monroe was having trouble keeping their operation rooms within compliance. Both the room temperature and relative humidity were climbing above the maximum allowable levels.
Surgeries are a huge profit center for hospitals so operating rooms need to be open and available to the surgeons. Therefore, zero downtime and maintaining compliance is essential to the project.
Solution
Mechanical Concepts worked with the Engineering/Facilities Director at Ochsner to come up with a solution. We deployed a Novel Aire Active Desiccant Dehumidification Unit to precondition the fresh air before it enters the operating room air handling units. Working with the factory, we laid out a unit that would drive all the excess moisture out of the air to make Louisiana air into Arizona air.
Mechanical Concepts partnered with Byrnes Mechanical, along with Central Electric, River City Sheet Metal, KC Electric, and Johnson Controls as subcontractors to implement the project.
Once the unit was installed on the roof, MC’s Service Team jumped in to finish the required temperature controls work and get the unit started up, dialed in, and working properly. The timing was absolutely critical. The hospital allotted only one weekend to get things switched over to the new unit and have everything tested and certified before surgeries on Monday morning. MC worked overtime and brought it all within compliance a day early. The MC Service Team trained the Ochsner staff on how to properly operate and maintain their new unit that Monday.
Outcome
The hospital relayed that this was the first project they can remember where they never received a single complaint from a doctor or nurse. The operating rooms are running around 65°F with a relative humidity of just under 40% on a 100°F summer day. The doctors are all happy.
