Combining pulsed xenon ultraviolet disinfection with terminal manual cleaning helps reduce the acquisition rate of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

BACKGROUND: The clinical effectiveness of ultraviolet light (UV) disinfection remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the effect of adding pulsed xenon UV (PX-UV) disinfection to the terminal cleaning protocol on the rate of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) acquisition at a Japanese hospital. METHODS: The use of a PX-UV disinfection device was added to the manual terminal cleaning protocol applied after the discharge or transfer of patients treated in the intensive and high care units. We used a Poisson regression model to examine the incidence of MRSA acquisition, based on the study period, PX-UV intervention status, unit type, and the rate of consumption of alcohol-based hand rub (ABHR). RESULTS: Approximately 86% of the rooms in the intervention units were terminally disinfected with the PX-UV device. In the intervention units, the incidence of MRSA acquisition decreased from 3.56 per 1,000 patient-days in the nonintervention period to 2.21 per 1,000 patient-days in the intervention period. Moreover, the use of PX-UV disinfection decreased the risk of MRSA acquisition (incident rate ratio: 0.556; 95% confidence interval, 0.309-0.999; P = .0497). ABHR consumption did not affect the risk of MRSA acquisition. CONCLUSIONS: Adding PX-UV disinfection to terminal manual cleaning reduced the rate of MRSA acquisition.

Effect of pulsed xenon ultraviolet disinfection on methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus contamination of high-touch surfaces in a Japanese hospital.

BACKGROUND: The hospital environment is an important source of multidrug-resistant organisms such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Here, we evaluated the efficacy of pulsed xenon ultraviolet (PX-UV) disinfection in addition to manual cleaning in a Japanese hospital. METHODS: Environmental samples were collected from inpatient rooms that had been occupied for at least 48 hours by patients infected or colonized with MRSA. High-touch surfaces from 11 rooms were sampled before and after manual cleaning and then after PX-UV disinfection. Changes in bacterial counts and in the number of aerobic bacteria (AB)- and MRSA-positive samples between sampling points were assessed. The time taken to complete PX-UV treatment of patient rooms was also recorded. RESULTS: A total of 306 samples were collected. PX-UV disinfection resulted in a significant decrease in abundance of AB and MRSA (mean colony-forming units 14.4 ± 38.7 to 1.7 ± 6.1, P < .001 and 1.1 ± 3.9 to 0.3 ± 2.0, P < .001, respectively) and in the number of AB- and MRSA-positive samples (58.8%-28.4%, P = .001 and 19.6%-3.9%, P < .001, respectively) compared with manual cleaning. The median time of in-room use of the PX-UV device was 20 minutes. CONCLUSIONS: The addition of PX-UV disinfection to the manual cleaning process significantly reduced AB and MRSA contamination of high-touch surfaces in hospital inpatient rooms.