Thermal conditions in operating rooms are mainly dictated by the need to meet the safety/comfort requirements of the patient. However, the accuracy of performed surgical procedures depends on the surgeon and others members of medical team. Hence, their comfort sensation should be also factored in. The study sought to find out how thermal sensations of people working in surgical clothing can be modified through a local change in air velocity and temperature around the user. A series of tests was carried out with a thermal manikin to make an accurate assessment of the effectiveness of this type of equipment. The tests included changes of the ambient temperature, supply air temperature and air velocity. The operational efficiency was assessed on the basis of the equivalent temperature index (teq). Results show that the final result of teq was mostly determined by air velocity rather than the supply air temperature.
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