The effect of pulsed xenon ultraviolet light disinfection on healthcare-associated Clostridioides difficile rates in a tertiary care hospital

Fibi Attia; Cynthia Whitener; Scott Mincemoyer; Justin Houck; Kathleen Julian

doi:10.1016/j.ajic.2019.12.019

The effect of pulsed xenon ultraviolet light disinfection on healthcare-associated Clostridioides difficile rates in a tertiary care hospital

Am J Infect Control. 2020 Sep;48(9):1116-1118. doi: 10.1016/j.ajic.2019.12.019. Epub 2020 Jan 22.

Authors

Fibi Attia¹, Cynthia Whitener², Scott Mincemoyer¹, Justin Houck³, Kathleen Julian²

Affiliations

¹ Infection Prevention Department, Penn State Health, Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Hershey, PA.
² Infectious Diseases Physicians, Penn State Health, Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Hershey, PA.
³ Environmental Services, Penn State Health, Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Hershey, PA.

PMID: 31982216
DOI: 10.1016/j.ajic.2019.12.019

Abstract

Ultraviolet (UV) light has destructive activity against pathogenic bacteria including Clostridioides difficile spores. Portable pulsed-xenon UV disinfecting devices were implemented for terminal room cleaning in 6 units of our academic hospital with high C. difficile infection (CDI) rates. CDI rates were measured in a 9-month period before and a 9-month period after device implementation. Despite documented administration of UV disinfection for 87% of terminal room cleaning, no impact on CDI rates was detected.

Keywords: Devices; HAI rates; Infection rates; Terminal cleaning.

MeSH terms

Clostridioides
Clostridioides difficile*
Cross Infection* / prevention & control
Delivery of Health Care
Disinfection
Humans
Tertiary Care Centers
Ultraviolet Rays*
Xenon

Substances

Xenon