Donna Armellino1, Kristine Goldstein2, Linti Thomas2, Thomas J Walsh3, Vidmantas Petraitis3. 1. Infection Prevention, Northwell Health, Lake Success, NY. Electronic address: DArmelli@northwell.edu. 2. Infection Prevention, Northern Westchester Hospital, Mount Kisco, NY. 3. Infectious Diseases Translational Research Laboratory, Weill Cornell Medicine of Cornell University, New York City, NY.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: This non-randomized comparative observational study evaluated the performance of a standard manual-chemical disinfection process with an automated process employing focused multivector ultraviolet (FMUV) light technology during operating room (OR) terminal cleaning. METHODS: An Association of periOperative Registered Nurses terminal cleaning protocol was modified to incorporate the use of automated FMUV technology that allows workers to occupy the room during operation. This modified protocol was compared with a standard manual-chemical cleaning and disinfection protocol. Equipment surfaces were pre-sampled before and after terminal cleaning. A total of 165 objects were sampled in each process using a 5-point multisided sampling method. RESULTS: The parallel process employing FMUV reduced the active microbial burden by 96.5% from baseline (P < .0001), which was over 2.5 times better than the standard process. The standard terminal manual-chemical disinfection process reduced the active microbial burden on sampled objects by 38.4% from baseline (P < .0001). CONCLUSIONS: The data demonstrates that the performance of standard manual-chemical disinfection alone is variable in a live clinical setting even under the most ideal conditions. By comparison, automated FMUV treatment incorporated in a parallel process consistently produced thorough and significant reductions of microbial contamination levels on all visibly clean patient care equipment.
BACKGROUND: This non-randomized comparative observational study evaluated the performance of a standard manual-chemical disinfection process with an automated process employing focused multivector ultraviolet (FMUV) light technology during operating room (OR) terminal cleaning. METHODS: An Association of periOperative Registered Nurses terminal cleaning protocol was modified to incorporate the use of automated FMUV technology that allows workers to occupy the room during operation. This modified protocol was compared with a standard manual-chemical cleaning and disinfection protocol. Equipment surfaces were pre-sampled before and after terminal cleaning. A total of 165 objects were sampled in each process using a 5-point multisided sampling method. RESULTS: The parallel process employing FMUV reduced the active microbial burden by 96.5% from baseline (P < .0001), which was over 2.5 times better than the standard process. The standard terminal manual-chemical disinfection process reduced the active microbial burden on sampled objects by 38.4% from baseline (P < .0001). CONCLUSIONS: The data demonstrates that the performance of standard manual-chemical disinfection alone is variable in a live clinical setting even under the most ideal conditions. By comparison, automated FMUV treatment incorporated in a parallel process consistently produced thorough and significant reductions of microbial contamination levels on all visibly clean patient care equipment.
Authors: Steven Park; David S Perlin; Sean Fitzgerald; Vidmantas Petraitis; Thomas J Walsh Journal: Am J Infect Control Date: 2022-02-11 Impact factor: 4.303