Preventing hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) with UV light has been the recent focus of federal attention. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has launched a two-year study that will measure the effectiveness of using advanced, no-touch environmental UV disinfection technology to reduce infections.
Alamance Regional Medical Center in Burlington, N.C., has joined a select group of hospitals participating in the CDC-sponsored infection-reduction study using Tru-D SmartUVC.
"For the past three years, hospital-acquired infection (HAI) rates have been dropping at Alamance Regional," says Sara Wall, infection preventionist at the hospital. "This study will help us determine if UV light can help us obtain even lower infection rates."
The elimination of surface contamination within patient rooms is a critical and essential practice in the reduction of HAI's, and an important target for hospitals as associated costs are often non-reimbursed. Yet, facilities are faced with the challenge of eliminating infection-causing germs that are increasingly resistant to chemical cleaners and antibiotic therapies.
The nine-hospital study will look at four specific pathogens that persist in the hospital environment: MRSA, VRE, C. difficile and Acinetobacter. Patients who present symptoms for these pathogens are traditionally placed on contact precautions, and special chemical cleaning procedures are used to disinfect the environmental surfaces after the patient is discharged.
Xenex Healthcare Services, a provider of ultraviolet (UV) room disinfection, recently announced the Veterans Health Care System in central Texas is using Xenex's mercury-free UV light technology to disinfect hospital rooms and prevent hospital-acquired infections (HAI).
In an effort to achieve "zero" hospital acquired infections (HAIs) the Central Texas VA system is using Xenex's pulse xenon UV room disinfection system to eliminate the deadly microorganisms. The healthcare system launched Xenex's technology in October 2012. It is one of the first national VA systems to deploy Xenex throughout its acute care facilities.
Central Texas VA System Chief of Infectious Disease Chetan Jinadatha, MD, discussed the VA's initiative in a recent VA News documentary. "This technology is so innovative and important. It kills reliably every time," Jinadatha said.
"The VA hospitals are committed to eliminating HAIs and creating a safer, more effective VA healthcare system," said Mark Stibich, chief scientific officer of Xenex. "We hope that this VA News feature will educate other VA facilities about our pulse xenon UV light technology and how it can make their environment cleaner. Xenex devices have been proven to reduce HAIs, and hospitals using our technology are experiencing fewer infections."
Jinadatha presented the results of an initial study performed at Central Texas VA System "Evaluation of a Pulse-Xenon Ultraviolet Room Disinfection Device for Impact on Contamination Levels of MRSA" at IDWeek, the combined meeting of the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA), the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA), the HIV Medicine Association (HIVMA), and the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society (PIDS).
