Enhanced Environmental Cleaning with Hydrogen Peroxide (H2O2) Gas and the Effect on
Hospital-Acquired Infection (HAI) Rates and Acquisition of Methicillin-Resistant Staph
Aureus (MRSA) and Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococci (VRE)
S Silvestri and CA Muto
University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA 15213
Background: The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Presbyterian is a 766-bed tertiary care facility.
The Cardiac Thoracic intensive critical care (CTICU) consists of 2 units: CT10 & CT11, each with 10 beds and similar populations. In 7/08, the CIMR™ Infection Control Technology was installed in CT11. This technology is an ozone-free process that continuously disinfects viruses, bacteria, mold, and other fungi by producing 0.02 ppm of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) gas from oxygen and water vapor in the air. This methodology found that within 24 hours, 96.4% to 99.9% microbial reduction was noted of surfaces contaminated with Staphylococcus aureus, E-Coli, Listeriamono cytogenes, Candidaalbicans, Streptococcus, and Pseudomonas and thereafter new microbe reduction was virtually instantaneous. (Kansas State University and Sandia Labs)
Methods: CT11 was selected as our test (T) unit where on average 59% of patients were colonized with at least 1 significant pathogen. CT10 served as the control (C) unit. The unit was installed in the air handler unit (AHU). Positioning the H2O2 unit in the AHU as opposed to the air ducts serving the CT11 was done to ensure that all air entering the CT was treated and not mixed with untreated air. HAIs were defined using National Health System Network (NHSN) criteria. MRSA and VRE screening is routine in our hospital and
“As” was defined as a positive following a negative screen. A six month period of HAI and MRSA/VRE As were compared pre and post installation and the T unit was compared to the C unit.
Conclusions:
CT11 HAI rate was reduced by 48% (8.8 vs 4.6) and the VRE A rate reduced by 56% (9.3 vs 4.1) during the post period, MRSA A rate was unchanged (1.5 vs 1.9).
VRE A rates were significantly lower in the T vs C unit in the post period and the HAI rate trended towards significance. MRSA A was low in both time periods and in both units.
Ongoing analysis is planned and further investigation of this technology is merited.
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