First UK trial of Xenex PX-UV, an automated ultraviolet room decontamination device in a clinical haematology and bone marrow transplantation unit.
BACKGROUND
There is growing interest in the use of no-touch automated room decontamination devices within healthcare settings. Xenex PX-UV is an automated room disinfection device using pulsed ultraviolet (UV) C radiation with a short cycle time.


OBJECTIVE
To investigate the microbiological efficacy of this device when deployed for terminal decontamination of isolation rooms within a clinical haematology unit.


METHODS
The device was deployed in isolation rooms in a clinical haematology unit. Contact plates were applied to common touch points to determine aerobic total colony counts (TCCs) and samples collected using Polywipe™ sponges for detection of vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE).


RESULTS
The device was easy to transport, easy to use, and it disinfected rooms rapidly. There was a 76% reduction in the TCCs following manual cleaning, with an additional 14% reduction following UV disinfection, resulting in an overall reduction of 90% in TCCs. There was a 38% reduction in the number of sites where VRE was detected, from 26 of 80 sites following manual cleaning to 16 of 80 sites with additional UV disinfection.


CONCLUSIONS
The Xenex PX-UV device can offer a simple and rapid additional decontamination step for terminal disinfection of patient rooms. However, the microbiological efficacy against VRE was somewhat limited.
Infection Prevention and Control Department, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, Nottingham, UK.
A
A
Beal
Department of Clinical Microbiology, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, Nottingham, UK.
N
N
Mahida
Infection Prevention and Control Department, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, Nottingham, UK.
K
K
Staniforth
Infection Prevention and Control Department, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, Nottingham, UK.
N
N
Vaughan
Infection Prevention and Control Department, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, Nottingham, UK.
M
M
Clarke
Department of Clinical Microbiology, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, Nottingham, UK. Electronic address: tim.boswell@nuh.nhs.uk.
T
T
Boswell
D001331:Automation; D016026:Bone Marrow Transplantation; D015169:Colony Count, Microbial; D004203:Disinfection / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods*; D004783:Environmental Microbiology; D006801:Humans; D010362:Patients' Rooms; D014466:Ultraviolet Rays; D006113:United Kingdom
Decontamination; Ultraviolet (UV); Xenex