light ceiling fixtures that replace traditional fluorescent lights in the
OR. These lights continuously perform a small amount of disinfec-
tion during the day in a passive manner. If you're building a new OR,
or renovating an existing one, it makes sense to install these kinds
of lights.
I'm also impressed by another new technology: a big, thin disk,
almost like a wafer, that you place in your air handling system. As
air passes through the disk, it turns into dry hydrogen peroxide —
not vaporized, so it's nontoxic to people. The disk treats air con-
stantly, killing C. diff spores and other airborne contaminants.
Another neat technology that's getting traction, particularly in the
orthopedic community, is a device that looks like a big ice machine.
You wheel it into the OR, place it close to the sterile field, where it
decontaminates air by sucking it in and treating it with a HEPA filter
and a UV light.
Add these platforms to other technologies such as mobile hori-
zontal laminar airflow systems and movable ultraviolet light rapid
disinfectors, and the options for OR air cleaning are rapidly
expanding.
Future payoff
If you're not experiencing many SSIs, you may think these protocols
and technologies are overkill. But as the patient population ages, and
complex procedures become more common in outpatient ORs, the
incidences and costs of SSIs will likely rise. Even a single SSI is costly
for a facility. If you can spend a little money up front on air-cleaning
technologies to save a lot down the road, why wouldn't you?
OSM
8 6 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • O C T O B E R 2 0 1 9
Ms. Spencer (maureenspencer@gmail.com) is an infection preventionist consult-
ant based in Boston, Mass.
