![]() ![]() īecause of the shortcomings of routine environmental decontamination as mentioned above, autonomous touchless surface disinfection technologies have evolved. Secondly, in times of crisis, the supply of disinfectants may be disrupted, as has been demonstrated in the current COVID-19 pandemic. Studies have shown that more than 50% of surfaces may go untouched by manual cleaning. Erratic cleaning and disinfection processes, wrong choice of the appropriate formulation of cleansers or disinfectants and non-adherence to the required contact time of disinfectants may impair the efficacy of standard approaches. However, manual cleaning and disinfection is time and personnel consuming and-due to lack of time and training-sometimes not sufficient. For decontamination in hospitals, cleaning agents and disinfectants approved by technical expert committees must be used. To prevent HAIs and the spread of pathogens via contaminated surfaces, hospital rooms have to be cleaned and disinfected at regular intervals by trained personnel. As a result, environmental contamination leads to an increased risk of HAIs. methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus (VRE), Clostridium difficile, Norovirus and fungi are viable on surfaces for prolonged periods. Up to 7% of the patients in developed and 10% of the patients in developing countries are at risk to acquire at least one HAI, most of which may be prevented through infection prevention and control (IPC) measures. Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) are a major complication of medical treatment and care, necessitating a prolonged hospital stay and causing morbidity associated with increased costs and last but not least increased mortality. auris, particularly when microbial loads are high. The single standard disinfection UV-C irradiation cycle is not sufficient to inactivate pathogens with augmented environmental resilience, e.g. Presently, the UV-C robot tested in this study is not ready to be integrated in the environmental cleaning and disinfection procedures in our hospital. stopping due to unforeseen minor dislocation of items during the clinical service or due to moving individuals, making it a delicate high-tech device but not yet ready for the autonomous use in the clinical routine. Additionally, the robot required interventions by the technical operator during the disinfection process, e.g. Regarding usability, the robot’s interface was not intuitive, requiring advanced technical knowledge or intensive training prior to its use. ![]() auris strains were not effectively killed by the standard UV-C disinfection cycle. auris in the stationary phase were differential, but overall C. auris growth in the lag phase was inhibited by the UV-C irradiation but not in the presence of the rim shadows. The UV-C irradiation significantly reduced the microbial growth on the surfaces after manual cleaning and disinfection. ![]() auris strains at two concentrations and either in a lag or in a stationary growth phase were placed in these areas and exposed to UV-C disinfection as well. To quantify the efficacy of the robotic UV-C disinfection, we obtained cultures from defined sampling sites in these areas at baseline, after manual cleaning/disinfection and after the use of the robot. MethodsĪfter setting the parameters “surface distance” and “exposure time” for each area as given by the manufacturer, the robot moved autonomously and emitted UV-C irradiation in the waiting areas of two hospital outpatient clinics after routine cleaning and/or disinfection. Additionally, its effect on Candida auris, a yeast pathogen resistant to antifungals and disinfectants, was studied. To explore the impact of a UV-C disinfection robot in the clinical setting, we investigated its usability and the effectiveness as an add-on to standard environmental cleaning and disinfection. Although the principle of UV-C based disinfection is proven, little is known about the operational details of UV-C disinfection delivered by robots. robots, are increasingly advertised to complement standard decontamination procedures with concurrent reduction of time and workload. Ultraviolet-C (UV-C) irradiation deploying autonomous disinfection devices, i.e. However, manual cleaning and disinfection may be insufficient to eliminate pathogens from contaminated surfaces. ![]() Environmental surface decontamination is a crucial tool to prevent the spread of infections in hospitals. ![]()
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