How Harnessing UV-C Light is Revolutionizing High-Level Disinfection in Healthcare
In many areas of healthcare, UV-C light is revolutionizing high-level disinfection (HLD) in ways we’ve never seen, offering unparalleled effectiveness in eliminating pathogens and bolstering patient safety, all within seconds.
In this article, we explore the transformative potential of this technology in enhancing device disinfection standards and minimizing the risk of hospital-acquired infections.
In the battle against infectious diseases, effective disinfection is paramount to safeguarding patient health and preventing the spread of harmful pathogens. High-Level Disinfection (HLD) plays a crucial role in this endeavour, particularly in healthcare settings where the risk of infection transmission is heightened. But what if we could enhance the efficacy and efficiency of HLD methods? Enter UV-C based disinfection technologies, a cutting-edge approach revolutionizing the field of infection control.
In fact, Biomiq offers UV-C based infection prevention and control technology in the form of the UV Smart line of products — the D25 for non-critical and semi-critical medical devices, the D45 for ultrasound probes, and the D60 for channel-less flexible ENT endoscopes and TEE-probes. All automated high-level disinfection, and all with zero consumables.
Understanding High-Level Disinfection (HLD) Classifications: How Disinfection is Prioritized
Importantly, let us start by defining the arguably obvious: disinfection refers to the elimination of infectious agents from surfaces and objects¹⁻³. However, a distinction must be made when referring to High-Level Disinfection (HLD). HLD specifically targets semi-critical materials or items that come into contact with mucous membranes or compromised skin surfaces³.
The Spaulding Classifications: A Framework for Infection Control
The Spaulding classification system categorizes medical instruments based on their infection transmission risk¹. This categorization aids in determining the required level of disinfection for each item¹. According to the Spaulding system, high-level disinfection (HLD) is necessary for semi-critical items that encounter mucous membranes or compromised skin surfaces¹. Given their higher risk of infection transmission, these items need thorough disinfection to eliminate all microorganisms, barring spores¹. HLD ensures the safety of these items for patient use, reducing the risk of healthcare-associated infections¹.
To effectively implement disinfection protocols, healthcare professionals rely heavily on the Spaulding classifications¹. as they categorize medical instruments based on their risk of infection transmission¹:
- Critical Items: These items come into direct contact with sterile tissues or the bloodstream, necessitating sterilization to destroy all microbial life, including bacteria, viruses, and spores.
- Semi-Critical Items: While not penetrating sterile tissues, semi-critical items contact mucous membranes or non-intact skin. They require a high level of disinfection to eliminate all microorganisms except for bacterial spores.
- Non-Critical Items: These items only contact intact skin, requiring cleaning and low-level disinfection to reduce the microbial load.
HLD is a key practice in healthcare settings for infection control¹⁻³. It aims to eliminate all infectious agents, excluding spores, from surfaces and equipment¹. This process is especially important for semi-critical items¹. These items, as classified by the Spaulding system, come into contact with mucous membranes or compromised skin surfaces¹. UV-C disinfection technology supports high-level disinfection protocols by providing a quick and effective method to eliminate a wide range of pathogens⁴⁻⁶. By using ultraviolet radiation, UV-C devices disrupt microbial DNA and RNA, inhibiting their ability to replicate and making them harmless⁴⁻⁶. This innovative method complements traditional cleaning methods and strengthens overall infection control measures, through offering a touch-free disinfection method for surfaces, instruments, and other essential healthcare items requiring disinfection⁴⁻⁶.
UV-C Based Disinfection in Healthcare Settings: Maximizing Touch-Free Safety & Sanitization
Unfortunately, the threat of healthcare-associated infections from multidrug-resistant pathogens is significant, leading to increased mortality rates, morbidity, and healthcare costs⁷⁻¹⁰. Existing research suggests manual disinfection techniques traditionally used in hospital spaces inadequately sanitize surfaces, leading to higher prevalence of surface bacterias and other harmful pathogenic factors⁷⁻¹¹. This reality emphasizes the need for innovative, touch-free methods to strengthen terminal room disinfection, with ultraviolet (UV) disinfection systems offering a promising alternative⁴⁻⁶.
UV-C light, a powerful form of ultraviolet radiation, has become crucial in high-level disinfection practices due to its ability to disrupt the DNA and RNA of microorganisms, preventing their reproduction⁴⁻⁶. This makes it incredibly effective against a wide range of pathogens, including bacteria, viruses, and fungi⁴⁻⁶.
A New Light on Disinfection
UV-C technology presents a promising solution for combating infectious diseases, particularly in healthcare settings where it can significantly reduce infection risks through a touch-free mechanism¹¹. Offering rapid, chemical-free disinfection, UV-C technology strengthens defences against multidrug-resistant pathogens⁴⁻¹¹. However, its effectiveness and seamless integration into infection control protocols necessitate meticulous implementation and ongoing research. Continuous advancements in UV-C procedures have the potential to revolutionize infection prevention, ultimately enhancing patient safety on a global scale⁴⁻¹¹.
Our UV Smart line of products are UV-C high-level disinfection devices that use no consumables, are leading the Green Standard, and take only seconds to complete a successful disinfection cycle. To learn more, visit our Infection Control page or contact us to chat with an expert.
References
- McDonnell, G., & Burke, P. (2011). Disinfection: is it time to reconsider Spaulding?. Journal of Hospital Infection, 78(3), 163-170.
- Rutala, W. A., & Weber, D. J. (2013). Disinfection and sterilization: an overview. American journal of infection control, 41(5), S2-S5.
- Rutala, W. A., & Weber, D. J. (2011). Sterilization, high-level disinfection, and environmental cleaning. Infectious Disease Clinics, 25(1), 45-76.
- Yang, J. H., Wu, U. I., Tai, H. M., & Sheng, W. H. (2019). Effectiveness of an ultraviolet-C disinfection system for reduction of healthcare-associated pathogens. Journal of Microbiology, Immunology and Infection, 52(3), 487-493.
- Pereira, A. R., Braga, D. F., Vassal, M., Gomes, I. B., & Simões, M. (2023). Ultraviolet C irradiation: A promising approach for the disinfection of public spaces?. Science of The Total Environment, 879, 163007.
- Demeersseman, N., Saegeman, V., Cossey, V., Devriese, H., & Schuermans, A. (2023). Shedding a light on ultraviolet-C technologies in the hospital environment. Journal of Hospital Infection, 132, 85-92.
- Boyce, J. M. (2016). Modern technologies for improving cleaning and disinfection of environmental surfaces in hospitals. Antimicrobial Resistance & Infection Control, 5, 1-10.
- Giraldi, G., Montesano, M., Napoli, C., Frati, P., La Russa, R., Santurro, A., ... & Orsi, G. B. (2019). Healthcare-associated infections due to multidrug-resistant organisms: a surveillance study on extra hospital stay and direct costs. Current pharmaceutical biotechnology, 20(8), 643-652.
- Kim, M. N. (2011). Multidrug-resistant organisms and healthcare-associated infections. Hanyang Medical Reviews, 31(3), 141-152.
- Cardoso, T., Ribeiro, O., Aragão, I. C., Costa-Pereira, A., & Sarmento, A. E. (2012). Additional risk factors for infection by multidrug-resistant pathogens in healthcare-associated infection: a large cohort study. BMC infectious diseases, 12, 1-9.
- Corrêa, T. Q., Blanco, K. C., Inada, N. M., Hortenci, M. D. F., Costa, A. A., Silva, E. D. S., ... & Bagnato, V. S. (2017). Manual operated ultraviolet surface decontamination for healthcare environments. Photomedicine and laser surgery, 35(12), 666-671.
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