| Term |
Definition |
Source |
| Aerosol generating procedure (AGP) |
Procedures that are likely to induce coughing. Procedures that are believed to generate aerosols and droplets as a source of respiratory pathogens include positive pressure ventilation (bi-level positive airway pressure [BiPAP] and continuous positive airway pressure [CPAP]), endotracheal intubation, airway suction, high-frequency oscillatory ventilation, tracheostomy, chest physiotherapy, nebulizer treatment, sputum induction, and bronchoscopy. AGPs should ideally take place in an airborne infection isolation room (AIIR). |
CDC |
| Aerosol, infectious |
An infectious aerosol is a system of liquid or solid particles uniformly distributed in a finely divided state through a gas, usually air. (They are small and buoyant enough to behave much like a gas yet they can be filtered out of the gas.) |
ASHRAE PD |
| Aerosol, Short-range transmission |
Transmitting disease by inhalation of aerosols near the source. The distance for this transmission has not been studied beyond two meters. |
CIDRAP |
| Age of Air |
The time that has elapsed after the air enters a space (at any given point.) |
DMHC |
| Air change rate |
Airflow in volume units per hour divided by the building space volume in identical volume units (normally expressed in air changes per hour [ACH or ACPH]) |
DMHC |
| Air irritant |
A particle or volatile chemical in air that causes physiological response when in contact with mucosa in the eye, nose, or throat. |
DMHC |
| Air volume migration |
The volume of air that is exchanged during room entry/exit (through a door-way between a room and the area beyond its door) |
DMHC |
| Air, exhaust |
Air removed from a space and discharged outside the building by mechanical or natural ventilation systems. |
DMHC |
| Air, makeup |
Any combination of outdoor and transfer air intended to replace exhaust air and exfiltration. |
DMHC |
| Air, outdoor |
(1) Air outside a building or taken from the outdoors and not previously circulated through the system;
(2) Ambient air that enters a building through a ventilation system, through intentional openings for natural ventilation, or by infiltration. |
DMHC |
| Air, recirculated |
Air removed from a space and reused as supply air. |
DMHC |
| Air, supply |
Air delivered by mechanical or natural ventilation to a space that is composed of any combination of outdoor air, recirculated air, or transfer air. |
DMHC |
| Air, transfer |
Air moved from one indoor space to another. |
DMHC |
| Airborne droplet nuclei |
Small-particle residue (5 µm or smaller) of evaporated droplets containing microorganisms that remain suspended in air and can be dispersed widely by air currents with a room or over a long distance. |
DMHC |
| Airborne infection isolation room (AIIR) |
A room designed with negative pressurization to protect patients and people outside the room from the spread of microorganisms (transmitted airborne droplet nuclei) that infect the patient inside the room. |
DMHC |
| Airborne infectious agent |
An airborne particle that can cause an infection. |
DMHC |
| Airborne pathogen |
An airborne particle that can cause disease. |
DMHC |
| Airborne transmission |
Airborne transmission is defined as "dissemination of either airborne droplet nuclei or small particles in the respirable size range containing infectious agents that remain infective over time and distance." An important requirement of airborne transmission is that it can occur only at a long distance from the source, according to the CDC. |
CIDRAP |
| Air-cleaning system |
A device or combination of devices used to reduce the concentration of airborne contaminants, such as microorganisms, dust, fumes, respirable particles, other particulate matter, gases and/or vapors in air. Related term: HEPA Filter. |
DMHC |
| Anteroom |
A room separating an isolation room from a corridor. |
DMHC |
| Bay (patient) |
A space for human occupancy with one hard wall at the headwall and three soft walls. |
FGI |
| Bioaerosol |
Particles or droplets suspended in air that consist of or contain biological matter such as bacteria, pollens, fungi, skin flakes, and viruses. |
DMHC |
| Building air infiltration |
Uncontrolled inward leakage of air (that may contain entrained water vapor) through cracks and interstices in any building element and around windows and doors of a building, caused by the pressure effects of wind or the effect of differences in the indoor and outdoor air density. |
DMHC |
| CADR |
Clean Air Delivery Rate which is the combined effect of actually how much air is moved through the filter and the filter efficiency. |
AHAM AC-1 |
| Community acquired infection |
An infection present or incubating in a patient upon admission to a hospital (or who subsequently shelters in place outside the hospital). |
DMHC |
| Contaminant or Pollutant |
Any impurity, any material of an extraneous nature, associated with a chemical, a pharmaceutical preparation, a phuysiologic principle, or an infectious agent. |
DMHC |
| Contaminant, airborne |
An unwanted airborne constituent that may reduce the acceptability of air. |
DMHC |
| Contamination |
The act of contaminating, especially the introduction of disease germs or infectious material into or on normally sterile objects. |
DMHC |
| COVID-19 |
COVID-19 is the short name for “coronavirus disease 2019" |
WHO |
| Cubicle |
A space intended for human occupancy that has at least one opening and no door and is enclosed on three sides with full height or partial height partitions. |
FGI |
| Droplet transmission |
Droplet transmission is defined as "respiratory droplets carrying infectious pathogens that transmit infection when they travel directly from the respiratory tract of the infectious individual to susceptible mucosal surfaces of the recipient, generally over short distances, necessitating facial protection." Close contact involves hand transfer of surface contamination to mouth, nose or eyes, hand washing and gloves being common controls. |
CIDRAP |
| Epidemiology |
Study of the distribution and determinants of disease. |
DMHC |
| HEPA filter (or absolute filter) |
High efficiency particle air filter with an efficiency of 99.97% removal of particulates larger than 0.30 microns. |
DMHC |
| Hospital Acquired Infection (HAI) |
See Nosocomial infection. |
|
| Intensive care rooms (ICU)(also critical care rooms CCU) |
Rooms in which the level of patient care and electronic monitoring of patients are greatly increased over conventional patient rooms. |
FGI |
| MERV |
Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value: The fraction of particles removed from air passing through a filter is termed “filter efficiency” |
ASHRAE 52.2-2017 |
| Nosocomial infection (or Hospital Acquired Infection [HAI]) |
An infection that is acquired in a hospital and that was not present or incubating upon admission. |
DMHC |
| Occupationally acquired infection |
An infection acquired while working in a medical care setting. |
DMHC |
| Opportunistic organism |
An ordinarily non-infectious agent that becomes infectious in an immunocompromised host. (any novel organism, especially aerosolized respiratory viruses for which there is no vaccine or herd immunity becomes an opportunistic organism.) |
DMHC |
| Pneumonia |
Inflammation of lung tissue. |
DMHC |
| PPE |
Personal Preotective Equipment is equipment worn to minimize exposure to hazards that cause serious workplace injuries and illnesses. |
Occupational Safety and Health Administration, PPE |
| Pressurization |
A difference in pressure between a space and a reference pressure. |
DMHC |
| Room |
A space enclosed by hard walls and having a door. |
FGI |
| SARS-CoV-2 |
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome CoronaVirus 2 |
International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV) |
| UV |
Ultraviolet irradiation. |
DMHC |
| UVGI |
Ultraviolet germicidal irradiation. |
DMHC |
| Ventilation |
A process of supplying air to or removing air from a space for the purpose of controlling air contaminant levels, humidity, or temperature within the space. Such air may or may not have been conditioned. |
DMHC |
| Ventilation effectiveness |
The ability of a system to remove contaminants generated by a source in a room. |
DMHC |