New VR Technology Makes Airflows in Operating Rooms Visible

The solution combines artificial intelligence, advanced CFD simulations, and immersive VR technology to visualize how movement, ventilation, and activity in operating rooms influence the risk of airborne contamination and postoperative infections.

The project has been developed through the research project POSI-red: Reduction of Postoperative Surgical Site Infections, led by Norconsult in close collaboration with NTNU Trondheim. The project is funded by Norconsult with support from the Research Council of Norway and is based on extensive testing and measurements conducted in a full-scale operating room laboratory at NTNU.
 

Making Complex Airflows Understandable

In an operating room, even small movements can affect how particles and potential pathogens move through the air surrounding the patient. In practice, this is difficult to observe because airflow is normally invisible.

Using VR technology, the project team can now visualize these effects in an interactive application.

A key innovation of the project is that the movements of surgical staff are captured using stereo cameras and AI-based pose estimation. These digitized movements are then incorporated into dynamic simulations of airflow and particle distribution. Such transient simulations differ from existing research, which is largely based on steady-state airflow conditions and static operating room personnel.

As a result, both healthcare professionals and ventilation engineers can see how everyday movements, door openings, and equipment placement affect particle concentrations around the patient.

Combining VR, Artificial Intelligence, and CFD

The project brings together several technologies that are typically used separately.

3D stereo cameras are combined with a machine learning model to capture and digitize the movements of surgical personnel in the operating room. These movement data are integrated with room geometry, ventilation design, and equipment positioning in Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations that calculate how airflow and particles move throughout the room.

The results are then visualized in VR.

This makes it possible to simulate different scenarios and test how ventilation solutions, equipment positioning, and movement patterns influence the risk of contamination.

He highlights the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration in developing the solution.

- NTNU has contributed experimental research expertise, while Norconsult has provided expertise in ventilation engineering, hospital design, and fluid dynamics. This has made it possible to develop a solution that enables researchers, engineers, and surgeons to gain a shared understanding of what is happening inside the operating room, he says.
 

A Tool for Both Design and Training

The VR application functions as both a design tool and a training tool.

Ventilation engineers can compare different ventilation concepts under realistic surgical scenarios and investigate how various room configurations affect particle concentrations around the surgical field.

At the same time, surgical staff can use the solution to better understand how their own actions influence airflow and infection risk during procedures.

Early demonstrations for professional audiences indicate that the visualizations provide insights that have previously been difficult to obtain through traditional analysis and training methods.

Among other findings, surgical personnel have been surprised by how much impact ordinary movements can have on airflow patterns and particle dispersion within the operating room.
 

Continued Through a New Research Project

The work is now being continued through the SkatteFUNN project Real-Time Visualization of Particle Distribution in Operating Rooms.

The goal is to develop a model capable of performing dynamic airflow simulations in real time, allowing different room configurations to be tested much more rapidly.

- Our goal is for the solutions we develop to help reduce the risk of postoperative surgical site infections and influence how operating rooms are designed and used—both nationally and internationally. At the same time, we want to provide engineers and healthcare professionals with a tool that makes it easier to understand how ventilation, equipment positioning, and movement patterns affect infection risk, says Haakon.

In the long term, the technology could contribute to improved training, smarter operating room design, and reduced risk of postoperative infections.

The project also demonstrates how Norconsult Digital combines domain expertise, data, and technology to develop solutions that create tangible value for both healthcare systems and society.