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Ultraviolet-C (UV-C) monitoring made simple: Colorimetric indicators to assess delivery of UV-C light by room decontamination devices

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 April 2021

Jennifer L. Cadnum ,
Basya S. Pearlmutter ,
Sarah N. Redmond ,
Annette L. Jencson ,
Kevin J. Benner  and
Curtis J. Donskey
Jennifer L. Cadnum
Affiliation:
Research Service, Louis Stokes Cleveland Veterans’ Affairs (VA) Medical Center, Cleveland, Ohio
Basya S. Pearlmutter
Affiliation:
Research Service, Louis Stokes Cleveland Veterans’ Affairs (VA) Medical Center, Cleveland, Ohio
Sarah N. Redmond
Affiliation:
Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, Ohio
Annette L. Jencson
Affiliation:
Research Service, Louis Stokes Cleveland Veterans’ Affairs (VA) Medical Center, Cleveland, Ohio
Kevin J. Benner
Affiliation:
GE Current, a Daintree company, Cleveland, Ohio
Curtis J. Donskey*
Affiliation:
Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, Ohio Geriatric Research, Education, and Clinical Center, Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center, Cleveland, Ohio
*
Author for correspondence: Curtis J. Donskey, E-mail: Curtis.Donskey@va.gov
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Abstract

Objective:

To evaluate the use of colorimetric indicators for monitoring ultraviolet-C (UV-C) light delivery to sites in patient rooms.

Methods:

In laboratory testing, we examined the correlation between changes in color of 2 commercial colorimetric indicators and log10 reductions in methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Clostridioides difficile spores with exposure to increasing doses of UV-C from a low-pressure mercury room decontamination device. In patient rooms, 1 of the colorimetric indicators was used to assess UV-C dose delivery to 27 sites in the room.

Results:

In laboratory testing, the manufacturer’s reference colors for MRSA and C. difficile reduction corresponded with doses of ∼10,000 and 46,000 µJ/cm2; these doses resulted in >3 log10 reductions in MRSA and C. difficile spores, respectively. In patient rooms, the colorimetric indicators demonstrated suboptimal delivery of UV-C dosing to shadowed areas, which was improved by providing cycles on each side of the patient bed rather than in a single position and altering device placement. Increasing duration of exposure increased the number of sites achieving adequate dosing to kill C. difficile spores.

Conclusions:

Commercial colorimetric indicators provide rapid and easy-to-interpret information on the UV-C dose delivered to sites in patient rooms. The indicators may be useful for training environmental services personnel and optimizing the effectiveness of UV-C room decontamination devices.

Type
Original Article
Information
Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology , Volume 43 , Issue 3 , March 2022 , pp. 306 - 311
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Copyright
© The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America

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