A study, published by the American Journal of Infection Control, shows that ultraviolet disinfection technology is able to eliminate 97.7% of pathogens from an operating room. In addition, these rays would be able to eliminate super-bacteria.
About 5% of patients who stay in hospital in France contract an infection: this is called a nosocomial infection. This is absent when the patient arrives in the establishment, and declares itself at least 48 hours later.
They are often due to examinations considered “invasive”: urinary or tracheal catheterization (assisted ventilation), venous catheter, surgery, endoscopy… if most lead to urinary tract infections, which are rarely dangerous, it can go much further.
Often resistant bacteria
The three main bacteria caught in hospitals are, for some, very resistant: Staphylococcus aureus (or staphylococcus aureus), Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. These infections are very expensive, because bacteria resistant to antibiotics cause serious complications and require testing several treatments, which makes the hospital stay much longer.
The disinfection of operating rooms is therefore a major public health issue to prevent the proliferation of these infections, which can be fatal.
An invention for the hospital sector
The use of ultraviolet light for disinfection purposes is not a new idea, but it is the first time that it has been adapted for use in operating theaters or patient rooms. The researchers explain in the article published in the American Journal of Infection Control how this technology works.
PurpleSun uses high levels of UV intensity at 90 second intervals for maximum effect. It also has collapsible bulkheads, which means it can surround equipment from all sides and its light reaches five surface points. To arrive at this result, the researchers used for their tests more than 3,000 microbiological samples from 100 different surgical cases in three hospitals in the New York area.
Technology to be used in addition to human resources
Of course, the arrival of PurpleSun does not mean that hospital staff will no longer need to clean their equipment with chemicals and disinfectants. This technology will be used in addition to the gestures performed by doctors, to compensate for human errors, as explained by Donna Armellino, lead author of the study and vice president of infection prevention at Northwell Health: “This technology can optimize the cleanliness of the environment, leading to a decrease in pathogens that can potentially cause infection.”
If this new technology is implemented in France, it may be able to prevent the 4,000 deaths per year due to nosocomial infections.
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