Pulsed xenon ultraviolet light contributed to a reduction in Clostridium difficile infection when used frequently for room disinfection, according to a study in the American Journal of Infection Control.
Here are five things to know:
1. Researchers studied CDI rates, CDI patient length of stay, room occupancy and number of days between a CDI case in a room and an hospital-acquired CDI case in the same room for the first year of ultraviolet disinfection compared with the one-year period before.
2. During ultraviolet disinfection, hospital-acquired CDI was 22 percent less than the year before pre-ultraviolet disinfection.
3. There was a 70 percent decrease for the adult intensive care units where the percentage of room discharges with ultraviolet disinfection was greater.
4. During ultraviolet disinfection, community-acquired CDI increased by 18 percent, and length of stay of all CDI cases was lower.
5. No significant difference was found in days to hospital-acquired CDI cases in rooms with a prior CDI occupant.