6 3
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a room depends on its dimensions. The more locations
you need to shoot from, the longer you'll have to run
the device."
She says it might be time to reevaluate your environ-
mental cleaning and consider the potential of enhanced
disinfection with a whole room device if you're experi-
encing SSIs from specific organisms, particularly if you
know the organisms are the same clones you've had in
other cases, or if your staff is doing everything they're
supposed to — if hand hygiene, skin prepping and
antibiotic administration are ideal — and you're still
seeing infection rates higher than benchmarking stan-
dards.
Pricing peace of mind
The upfront costs of whole room disinfection systems
range from $50,000 to $150,000, according to Dr. Otter.
Ultraviolet units are the more expensive option, fol-
lowed by hydrogen peroxide vapor and aerosolized
hydrogen peroxide systems, notes his study, which
also points out the running costs associated with UV
— basically the cost of the bulbs — would be lowest.
Whichever system you consider, the expenses are
manageable when considered in relation to a hospital's
overall budget, says Dr. Otter, who adds, "If the need is
established, cost is not going to be a major barrier to
implementation."
OSM
E-mail
dcook @outpa tientsurg ery.net
.
S U R F A C E D I S I N F E C T I O N
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