HPV room disinfection safer and superior to aHP

HPV room disinfection safer and superior to aHP Hydrogen peroxide vapour technology is confirmed as superior to the aerosolised hydrogen peroxide process following the publication of a recent independent study.

A team at St George’s Hospital, London, unquestionably established that hydrogen peroxide vapour (HPV) technology from Bioquell was faster, safer and more effective for biological inactivation than aerosolised hydrogen peroxide (aHP).

Incomplete inactivation of microbial contamination is a risk in hospitals because the remaining microorganisms can be transmitted to other patients. The study assessed the inactivation of specific organisms known to cause healthcare associated infections (HCAIs) - Clostridium difficile, Acinetobacter baumannii and MRSA.

The Bioquell HPV system was significantly more effective at inactivating the microorganisms than the aHP system (now supplied as a Glosair from Advanced Sterilization Products - ASP). Test discs containing the microbes situated around corners, out of direct line of sight of the aHP machine, were left active. In fact, the aHP system failed to inactivate MRSA or A. baumannii dried from suspension in water at any of the locations assessed.

Both systems were tested using 6-log and 4-log biological indicators (BIs) distributed throughout the test area, which are the standard used to validate decontamination processes.. Bioquell’s HPV technology demonstrated almost complete inactivation of 6-log and 4-log biological indicators (BIs). This compared with inactivation of <15% of the 6-log BIs by the aHP technology and one third of the 4-log BIs.

It was determined that poor hydrogen peroxide distribution associated with the aHP process compared with the complete dispersal of the HPV was one of the reasons for the poor inactivation results.

To assess the speed of each cycle, a comparison of hydrogen peroxide concentration levels in the room after 2 hours was also made for both systems. Here, the HPV system had a lower hydrogen peroxide level (1.3ppm) compared with the aHP hydrogen peroxide level (2.8ppm) at the 2 hour cycle mark, demonstrating faster cycle times.

The study also called into question the safety of the aHP system.
According to the aHP manufacturer’s instructions at the time, the room did not need to be sealed with tape and the room was safe to enter after two hours. However, this new report stated that both these protocols were found to expose operators to unsafe levels of hydrogen peroxide. In contrast, no health and safety issues were found with the Bioquell system. Here it was recommended that the room was sealed and hydrogen peroxide sensors were supplied by the manufacturer to ensure levels were safe at re-entry.

Commenting on the report, James Salkeld, head of Bioquell Healthcare said, “I am pleased that this study reinforces the superior efficacy and speed of the Bioquell technology. In my view, the reason for moving to a high-tech, automatic system is to ensure you eliminate all pathogens, every time, and this study re-states Bioquell’s credentials as the only technology that can achieve this.

This is something we are very proud to highlight as Bioquell technology continues to be the only room bio-decontamination technology to have evidence showing reductions in HCAI rates within hospitals.” The head-to-head study was published in the Journal of Hospital Infection, February 2012 and compared a Bioquell HPV generator to a Sterinis aHP generator (now supplied as a Glosair from Advanced Sterilization Products − ASP).

The room volume was 50 cubic metres with a 13 cubic metre annex. Both pieces of equipment were operated following manufacturer’s guidelines. The full article ‘Efficacy, efficiency and safety aspects of hydrogen peroxide vapour and aerosolized hydrogen peroxide room disinfection systems’ by T.Y. Fu, P. Gent and V. Kumar is available online at
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0195670112000102  or at http://www.journalofhospitalinfection.com/article/S0195-6701(12)00010-2/abstract.