Researchers from Hiroshima University Hospital recently published a study about the efficacy of LightStrike pulsed xenon ultraviolet (UV) light disinfection technology on surfaces contaminated with the superbug vancomycin-resistant Enterococci (VRE). This is the third published study about LightStrike’s efficacy against VRE, a deadly pathogen that can live on hospital surfaces for days to weeks.
While the world’s attention has been focused on COVID-19 in recent months, hospitals continue to struggle with pathogens like Clostridioides difficile, VRE and Candida auris that lurk on surfaces and can cause healthcare associated infections. “The effect of pulsed-xenon ultraviolet disinfection on surfaces contaminated with vancomycin-resistant Enterococci in a Japanese hospital” is published in The Journal of Infection and Chemotherapy (JIC), the official journal of the Japanese Society of Chemotherapy and The Japanese Association for Infectious Diseases.
According to the new study, researchers sampled numerous surfaces (toilet seat, toilet assist bar, bedrail, over-bed table, TV remote control, sink counter, etc.) in rooms that had been occupied by patients colonized with VRE before and after traditional manual cleaning, and then after disinfection with LightStrike pulsed xenon UV robots. The study showed that VRE was still present on surfaces in the patient rooms after manual cleaning, but there was no VRE remaining after LightStrike disinfection.
UV
LightStrike Germ-Zapping Robots use pulsed xenon to create intense bursts of broad spectrum UV light that quickly destroys bacteria and viruses. Viruses and bacteria are vulnerable to UV light at different wavelengths, so the LightStrike robot deactivates them at the wavelengths where they are most susceptible. The robots don’t require warm-up or cool-down time, and each robot can disinfect dozens of rooms per day. A peer-reviewed study validated that the robots are proven effective at destroying SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.
