Lynnelle J Murrell1, Erin Kinzel Hamilton2, Helen Boehm Johnson3, Maureen Spencer4. 1. Department of Infection Prevention and Control, Maury Regional Health Center, Columbia, TN. 2. Kinzel-Hamilton, Louisville, KY. 3. SeaHawk Biomedical, Vero Beach, FL. Electronic address: HBoehm705@aol.com. 4. Infection Prevention Consultant, Weymouth, MA.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: A growing body of research has demonstrated that manual cleaning and disinfection of the operating room (OR) is suboptimal. Residual environmental contamination may pose an infection risk to the surgical wound. This study evaluates the impact of a visible-light continuous environmental disinfection (CED) system on microbial surface contamination and surgical site infections (SSI) in an OR. METHODS: Samples from 25 surfaces within 2 contiguous ORs sharing an air supply were obtained after manual cleaning on multiple days before and after a visible-light CED system installation in 1 of the ORs. Samples were incubated and enumerated as total colony-forming units. SSIs in both ORs, and a distant OR, were tracked for 1 year prior to and 1 year after the visible-light CED system installation. RESULTS: There was an 81% (P = .017) and 49% (P = .015) reduction in total colony-forming units after the visible-light CED system installation in the OR in which the system was installed, and in the contiguous OR, respectively. In the OR with the visible-light CED system, SSIs decreased from 1.4% in the year prior to installation to 0.4% following installation (P = .029). CONCLUSIONS: A visible-light CED system, used in conjunction with manual cleaning, resulted in significant reductions in both microbial surface contamination and SSIs in the OR.
BACKGROUND: A growing body of research has demonstrated that manual cleaning and disinfection of the operating room (OR) is suboptimal. Residual environmental contamination may pose an infection risk to the surgical wound. This study evaluates the impact of a visible-light continuous environmental disinfection (CED) system on microbial surface contamination and surgical site infections (SSI) in an OR. METHODS: Samples from 25 surfaces within 2 contiguous ORs sharing an air supply were obtained after manual cleaning on multiple days before and after a visible-light CED system installation in 1 of the ORs. Samples were incubated and enumerated as total colony-forming units. SSIs in both ORs, and a distant OR, were tracked for 1 year prior to and 1 year after the visible-light CED system installation. RESULTS: There was an 81% (P = .017) and 49% (P = .015) reduction in total colony-forming units after the visible-light CED system installation in the OR in which the system was installed, and in the contiguous OR, respectively. In the OR with the visible-light CED system, SSIs decreased from 1.4% in the year prior to installation to 0.4% following installation (P = .029). CONCLUSIONS: A visible-light CED system, used in conjunction with manual cleaning, resulted in significant reductions in both microbial surface contamination and SSIs in the OR.
Authors: Robert Garcia; Sue Barnes; Roy Boukidjian; Linda Kaye Goss; Maureen Spencer; Edward J Septimus; Marc-Oliver Wright; Shannon Munro; Sara M Reese; Mohamad G Fakih; Charles E Edmiston; Martin Levesque Journal: Am J Infect Control Date: 2022-05-04 Impact factor: 4.303