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SG-APSIC1065: The effectiveness of an ultraviolet-C device for terminal room disinfection in an intensive care unit

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 March 2023

Zhi-Yuan Shi
Affiliation:
Taichung Veterans’ General Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan
Pei-Hsuan Huang
Affiliation:
Taichung Veterans’ General Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan
Chun-Hsi Tai
Affiliation:
Taichung Veterans’ General Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan
Hsin-Yi Hung
Affiliation:
Taichung Veterans’ General Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan
Yuh-Feng Chen
Affiliation:
Taichung Veterans’ General Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan
Ying-chun Chen
Affiliation:
Taichung Veterans’ General Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan
Hui-Mei Huang
Affiliation:
Taichung Veterans’ General Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan

Abstract

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Objectives: Medical devices and the hospital environment can be contaminated easily by multidrug-resistant bacteria. The effectiveness of cleaning practices is often suboptimal because environmental cleaning in hospitals is complex and depends on human factors, the physical and chemical characteristics of environment, and the viability of the microorganisms. Ultraviolet-C (UV-C) lamps can be used to reduce the spread of microorganisms. We evaluated the effectiveness of an ultraviolet-C (UV-C) device on terminal room cleaning and disinfection. Methods: The study was conducted at an ICU of a medical center in Taiwan. We performed a 3-stage evaluation for the effectiveness of UV-C radiation, including pre–UV-C radiation, UV-C radiation, and a bleaching procedure. The 3 stages of evaluation were implemented in the ICU rooms from which a patient had been discharged or transferred. We collected the data from adenosine triphosphate (ATP) bioluminescence testing, colonized strains, and their corresponding colony counts by sampling from the environmental surfaces and air. We tested 8 high-touch surfaces, including 2 sides of bed rails, headboards, footboards, bedside tables, monitors, pumping devices, IV stands, and oxygen flow meters. Results: In total, 1,696 environmental surfaces and 72 air samples were analyzed. The levels of ATP bioluminescence and colony counts of isolated bacteria decreased significantly after UV-C radiation and bleaching disinfection for both the environmental and air samples (P < .001). Resistant bacteria (vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus, VRE) were commonly isolated on the hard-to-clean surfaces of monitors, oxygen flow meters, and IV pumps. However, they were also eradicated (P < .001). Conclusions: UV-C can significantly reduce environmental contamination by multidrug-resistant microorganisms. UV-C is an effective device to assist staff in cleaning the hospital environment.

Type
Environmental Hygiene
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BY
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2023. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America