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

• Published in: American journal of infection control Vol. 49; no. 8; pp. 1048 - 1051
• Main Authors: Kitagawa, Hiroki, Mori, Minako, Kawano, Reo, Hara, Toshinori, Kashiyama, Seiya, Hayashi, Yoko, Sasabe, Yayoi, Ukon, Kiyoko, Shimokawa, Naomi, Nomura, Toshihito, Omori, Keitaro, Shigemoto, Norifumi, Shime, Nobuaki, Ohge, Hiroki
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01.08.2021
• Subjects: Healthcare associated infections; Multidrug-resistant organisms; Terminal cleaning; Ultraviolet light disinfection; Ultraviolet light disinfection; Multidrug-resistant organisms; Healthcare associated infections; Terminal cleaning
• ISSN: 0196-6553; 1527-3296
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ajic.2021.01.019

•The impact of pulsed xenon ultraviolet light (PX-UV) disinfection is unclear.•We examined the impact of manual cleaning + PX-UV on methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) acquisition risk.•The use of PX-UV reduced the risk of MRSA acquisition.•The use of an alcohol-based hand rub did not affect MRSA acquisition risk. 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. 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). 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. Adding PX-UV disinfection to terminal manual cleaning reduced the rate of MRSA acquisition.