What is a Negative Pressure Ambulance?
2 Answers
Negative pressure ambulance, also known as a protective ambulance, differs from regular ambulances primarily in its ability to provide "negative pressure isolation." It is mainly used for the safe isolation and transportation of patients with major infectious diseases. Below is how a negative pressure ambulance works: 1. The air pressure inside the vehicle is lower than the atmospheric pressure outside, allowing air to flow only from the outside to the inside. The air inside is sterilized before being discharged, creating a fixed air flow field within the negative pressure compartment. Air flows from the clean area to the infected source area, with the air pressure inside the negative pressure compartment ranging between -10Pa to -120Pa, minimizing dead zones and vortexes in the airflow. 2. In terms of airflow control inside the vehicle, clean air enters from the top and is discharged from the bottom, ensuring that the air at the medical staff's head level remains clean and sterile, while the air around the patient's lying area gets contaminated and is expelled outside the vehicle through exhaust and filtration systems.
A negative pressure ambulance is specifically designed for the safe transportation of infectious disease patients. It's equipped with a pressure control system inside the compartment that ensures air always flows inward rather than outward, effectively trapping viruses and bacteria to prevent their spread to the outside environment. I think this technology has become particularly popular in recent years, especially during the pandemic, serving as a guardian for medical staff. For instance, when transporting COVID-19 patients, it significantly reduces cross-infection risks, and the ambulance is fitted with high-efficiency filters that sterilize the air before it's discharged. In contrast, regular ambulances handling such patients might allow viruses to escape with the airflow, posing threats to both medical personnel and bystanders. The negative pressure system requires specialized ventilation equipment and electronically controlled valves, making its design quite challenging, but the investment is absolutely worthwhile as it safeguards public health. Most ambulances we see on the road lack this feature, with negative pressure types being relatively rare and primarily stocked by disease control centers or large hospitals. I'd like to point out that despite its technical complexity, it's not prohibitively expensive, and some countries are actively promoting its adoption through policies to benefit more people.
