The proven benefits of UV light as a powerful disinfectant has been known for some time. Over the past hundred years, UV light has been valued for its potency to destroy micro-organisms in water, air, and on surfaces.
The use of UV light for air and water disinfection in hospitals gained popularity in the 1930s.
Near the end of WWII, UV light was commonly used in water treatment facilities and processing plants to eradicate the presence of pathogens in food and water.
By the 1950s, it was an effective ally in helping to eliminate tuberculosis. However, it fell out of favour ten years later due to the widespread use of antibiotics and chemical disinfectants.
New Applications
A new tool in the infection control toolkit can help manage the crisis of multi-drug resistant organisms in the healthcare setting. UV-C light has proven to be a powerful tool in destroying the presence of superbugs in patient rooms and reducing the amount of hospital-acquired infections.
Superbugs like MRSA, vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE), C. difficile and Acinetobacter are difficult to treat and resistant to most of the heavy hitters used in the antibiotic realm. Not only are they challenging to eradicate but they also place heavy costs on both the patient and the hospital.
A 2015 research study conducted by Duke Health in nine hospitals in southeastern United States, and involving more than 21,000 patients found that UV-C light was effective at reducing transmission of these four superbugs by a cumulative 30%.
These findings were limited to those overnight patients staying in a room where a previous patient has been treated for a drug-resistant organism.
UV-C light has now found a place among infection control strategies to curb superbug outbreaks.
Some hospitals have already begun to use these UV-C machines as a complement to standard chemical disinfection practices for patient rooms and bathrooms, equipment rooms, operating rooms, and mobile equipment.
Although the effectiveness of the research findings are still preliminary, there is much promise for the pathogen-destroying applications of UV-C light.
The Downsides
Along with the potent benefits of UV-C light, there are some drawbacks that must be considered.
Although, UV-C light is effective at destroying the genetic material of bacteria and other micro-organisms, it has the potential to damage humans’ genetics as well.
Unprotected eyes are also at risk for damage when exposed to this light.
Not Safe For Humans
Because it is not safe to use near people, UV-C light is generally carried out in vacant rooms after patient discharge.
This can pose a problem as most hospitals are pushed to turn over patient rooms as quickly as possible. Some hospitals can discharge up to 100 patients a day and adding any additional time needed to disinfect entire vacant rooms with UV-C light may have a detrimental economic impact.
Needs To Be Direct Light
Furthermore, to be most effective at inactivating pathogens, UV-C light requires a direct, continuous line of sight with its objects and surface it intends to disinfect for an entire 15 minutes.
This can prove difficult as most touch surfaces in a room are not perpendicular or at a 90 degree angle to this UV light.
These altered angles can hamper the efficacy of disinfection.
Although the walls may be fully disinfected, high-risk touch surfaces like bed rails or tables may not receive the full dose of UV-C light. Distance and shadow areas also pose a problem for superbug eradication.
Although there are no easy solutions to overcome the limitations of UV-C light in this application, some advocates have suggested using multiple machines to flood the room from different angles.
However, the cost of additional time needed to disinfect the room as well as the usage costs may be a deterrent for some.
Promise For The Future
Despite these drawbacks, UV-C light holds much promise in the war against the super bugs.
When used in combination with other standard disinfection practices, an entire ecosystem can be built to eradicate dangerous pathogens from the hospital environment.
References:
Innovative New Technology Attempting to Reduce Hospital Associated Infections
http://blog.readydock.net/bid/385569/What-To-Consider-When-Disinfecting-Hospital-Rooms-With-UVC-Light
https://aricjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13756-016-0111-x
http://www.hospitalhealth.com.au/content/clinical-services/article/uv-light-can-aid-hospitals-fight-to-wipe-out-drug-resistant-superbugs-1112947171#axzz4yQdxRRF5
https://www.healio.com/infectious-disease/nosocomial-infections/news/in-the-journals/%7Bfe0ceedb-e139-409b-ba94-7d8a0f40c144%7D/uv-c-light-kills-drug-resistant-bacteria-in-hospital-rooms