Azbil to Strengthen Business for Pandemic-Ready Airflow Control Systems, Contributing to Safety and Comfort of Medical Personnel
TOKYO, Jul. 10, 2020: Azbil Corporation (Tokyo Stock Exchange Code: 6845) announced it will strengthen the solution business for its pandemic-ready airflow control system, which can switch a normal patient room in a hospital to an airborne infection isolation room by controlling the room’s pressure and lowering it to achieve negative pressure.
The system uses Azbil’s Infilex™VN Venturi Valve for Constant Air Volume, which is able to easily switch room pressure and keep it stable. Because airflow direction and inward volume is constantly maintained at specified levels, air from the room will not contaminate other wards or zones in the hospital, thereby preventing cross-contamination. Until now, Azbil sold the system mainly to research facilities and laboratories but due to widespread infections from the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, Azbil will strengthen business related to the system by selling it to more medical facilities as a pandemic-ready airflow control system.
Infilex VN
Airborne infection isolation rooms must be in a state of negative pressure, which is achieved by controlling airflow to go from outside corridors into the room, and have increased ventilation. However, maintaining this type of setup during normal hospital operations is not efficient from an operational standpoint because fewer beds will be available when there is no pandemic, thereby negatively impacting hospital management.
Using Azbil’s system, onsite staff can switch normal patient and rehabilitation rooms, which have isobaric pressure during normal operations, to infection isolation rooms simply by activating “pandemic mode” from their computer. This mode creates negative pressure in the room and increases the amount of ventilation. Furthermore, it reduces hospital-acquired infections, providing comfort and safety to medical personnel and patients.
Guided by the azbil Group philosophy of “human-centered automation,” Azbil will continue to provide products and systems for the age of the coronavirus, contributing to people’s safety and peace of mind.
* Infilex is a trademark of Azbil Corporation.
* Posted information is accurate as of the date of announcement.