OPERATING ROOM
medicine; navigating the maze of ‘evidence’ that exists about UV disinfection science can be challenging,” Stibich said. “Potential buyers should look at the peer-reviewed lit- erature on hospital acquired infection (HAI) rates — and make sure the study includes not just numbers of infections but the frequency of infections per the total number of patients in a time period as compared to rates of ear- lier time periods. Why is it crucial to see rates? Because this year a hospital might see fewer
patients than last year and a year with fewer patients will usually have fewer infections. “Hospital purchasing departments need to understand how much infections are costing their facility,” he continued. “If they consider HAIs as a line item on a budget, then it’s possible to evaluate the return on investment (ROI) for reducing the number of infections. When hospitals realize how much money they are losing as a result of pre- ventable infections, then it’s imperative that
Xenex germ- zapping robot
review.3
they make an evidence- based decision and choose a UV-C technology that has been peer-reviewed and shown to reduce infection rates. Many Xenex cus- tomers have experienced an ROI in just a matter of months as a result of fewer infections. Three hospitals have published their HAI rate reductions in peer-reviewed journals and fi ve more HAI reduction studies are in press or in
A new study published in American
Journal of Infection Control reports on the 70 percent decrease in C.diff infection rates in the Westchester Medical Center adult ICU (NY) after the facility began using Xenex pulsed xenon UV device for room disinfection.4
This
is the fourth peer-reviewed study establish- ing the effi cacy of the Xenex germ-zapping robot on hospital infection rates.” Senior Executive Sanford Green, Spectra254,
also points out that conventional chemical cleaning brands vary in their directions for use and application. “This is further compli- cated by the human factors that challenge this process; what surfaces might have been missed because of the shortage of time and just the sheer number of items to clean? Was the chemical disinfectant applied with the correct concentration of the solution? Was there suffi cient contact time of the solution on the infected area?” Green posited. “It is estimated that there are as many as 40 objects in a hospital patient room that must be cleaned on a regular basis. With so many objects to decontaminate, the combination of chemical cleaning complemented by UV-C light disinfection systems is the best way to achieve a pathogen-free patient room in the shortest amount of time.”
Green also challenges the belief that UV-C germicidal lamps might be hazardous. “Spectra254 systems utilize low pressure mercury lamps that are compliant with the Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure (TCLP) and are therefore recognized as non-hazardous waste by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA),” he said. “The mercury concentration in the lamps was mea- sured to be 0.015mg/L, a full order of magni- tude below the 0.2 mg/L limit. Additionally, all Spectra germicidal lamps are encased in a FEP poly sleeve that seals the lamp fi xture and prevents accidental shattering. These same germicidal lamps have been used for many years cleaning our air and municipal drinking water. To further prove this point, healthcare facilities already safely deploy, use and prescribe products, pharmaceuticals
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www.ksrleads.com/?509hp-001 20 September 2015 • HEALTHCARE PURCHASING NEWS •
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