What is the primary purpose of maintaining positive pressure in the operating room relative to surrounding areas?

• A. To prevent outside air and contaminants from entering the sterile field and surgical suite.
• B. To keep the door closed at all times regardless of need.
• C. To reduce energy consumption by lowering ventilation.
• D. To allow contaminated air to flow into surrounding spaces.

Answer: (A)

Maintaining a higher pressure inside the operating room than in surrounding areas creates a directional airflow from clean to less clean. This positive pressure pushes air out of the room when doors are opened and helps prevent outside air, dust, and microorganisms from entering the sterile field. The result is a consistently cleaner environment for the surgical area, reducing the risk of contamination and infection. The other options miss the main purpose: simply keeping doors closed isn’t the mechanism that protects the sterile field, lowering ventilation would compromise cleanliness and is not the goal, and allowing contaminated air to flow into surrounding spaces would defeat the purpose of maintaining a protective barrier.