Decontamination of Targeted Pathogens from Patient Rooms Using an Automated Ultraviolet-C-Emitting Device

Abstract

OBJECTIVE To determine the effectiveness of an automated ultraviolet-C (UV-C) emitter against vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE), Clostridium difficile, and Acinetobacter spp. in patient rooms. DESIGN Prospective cohort study. SETTING Two tertiary care hospitals. PARTICIPANTS Convenience sample of 39 patient rooms from which a patient infected or colonized with 1 of the 3 targeted pathogens had been discharged. INTERVENTION Environmental sites were cultured before and after use of an automated UV-C-emitting device in targeted rooms but before standard terminal room disinfection by environmental services. RESULTS In total, 142 samples were obtained from 27 rooms of patients who were colonized or infected with VRE, 77 samples were obtained from 10 rooms of patients with C. difficile infection, and 10 samples were obtained from 2 rooms of patients with infections due to Acinetobacter. Use of an automated UV-C-emitting device led to a significant decrease in the total number of colony-forming units (CFUs) of any type of organism (1.07 log10 reduction; P < .0001), CFUs of target pathogens (1.35 log10 reduction; P < .0001), VRE CFUs (1.68 log10 reduction; P < .0001), and C. difficile CFUs (1.16 log10 reduction; P < .0001). CFUs of Acinetobacter also decreased (1.71 log10 reduction), but the trend was not statistically significant (P = .25). CFUs were reduced at all 9 of the environmental sites tested. Reductions similarly occurred in direct and indirect line of sight. CONCLUSIONS Our data confirm that automated UV-C-emitting devices can decrease the bioburden of important pathogens in real-world settings such as hospital rooms.

Room Decontamination Using an Ultraviolet-C Device with Short Ultraviolet Exposure Time

“…3 Room decontamination units that use ultraviolet-C (UV-C, 254 nm) are commercially available and have been shown to effectively decontaminate surfaces in patient rooms. [4][5][6][7][8] The purpose of this study was to determine whether a fixed cycletime UV-C device was effective in inactivating the test bacteria in a patient room with and without reflective coating. To better understand the effect of the reflective coating, the UV-C intensity on surfaces of interest were directly measured using a UV-C radiometric sensor.…”

“…3 Although Brucella infection is not usually a risk to medical staff, prosthetic joint infections have been encountered during surgery. [5][6][7][8][9] We report a case of periprosthetic Brucella infection and the subsequent investigation into possible transmission to operating room and laboratory staff. Objectives of the investigation included infection prevention, case-finding, and examination into potential routes of Brucella species transmission.…”

Effect of Variation in Test Methods on Performance of Ultraviolet-C Radiation Room Decontamination

“…[2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10] In hospital rooms, use of the devices has been shown to reduce the burden of pathogens on surfaces. [2][3][4][6][7][8][11][12][13] There have also been some reports of use of UV-C devices associated with reductions in healthcare-associated infections. [14][15][16] In addition to factors such as cost and ease of use, healthcare facilities considering the purchase of a UV-C room decontamination device must weigh claims regarding the effectiveness of different devices.…”

Infection Control in Isolation Units/Hdus/Icus- A Comparative Study Using Three Different Disinfectants With Fogger for Environmental Decontamination

“…16 Burn victims also develop HAIs as a result of the physical barrier disruption. The ability to clear infections may further be reduced by underlying chronic diseases (i.e.…”