Thursday 2 October 2014

Study finds reduced hospital-acquired infection rates with ultraviolet disinfection

In a retrospective study, rates of hospital-acquired infections caused by multidrug-resistant organisms (MDRO) or Clostridium difficile decreased when an ultraviolet environmental disinfection (UVD) system was used after routine discharge cleaning of contact precautions rooms and other high-risk hospital areas.

A 20% decrease in hospital-acquired MDRO and C difficile rates was observed during the 22-month period of UVD use compared with the 30-month pre-UVD period (2.14 vs 2.67 cases per 1,000 patient-days; P < .001.

Hospital-acquired infections are caused by viral, bacterial, and fungal pathogens; the most common types are bloodstream infection (BSI), pneumonia (e.g., ventilator-associated pneumonia [VAP]), urinary tract infection (UTI), and surgical site infection (SSI).

For further details, see:

Nierengarten M. Ultraviolet Disinfection Cuts Hospital-Acquired Infections. Medscape Medical News.

Haas JP, Menz J, Dusza S, Montecalvo MA. Implementation and impact of ultravioletenvironmental disinfection in an acute care setting. Am J Infect Control. Jun 2014;42(6):586-90

Posted by Tim Sandle

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