Hospital UV Disinfection: Highly Effective with Automatic Solutions

Healthcare facilities face serious challenges with mitigating the spread of germs and are seeking enhanced methods of disinfection such as hospital UV disinfection systems. Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) cause nearly 100,000 deaths in the U.S. annually with approximately 1 in 25 people contracting an infection from their hospital stay. HAIs cause unnecessary deaths and put patients and staff at an increased risk.

The hospital environment plays a critical role in the transmission of pathogens, as many harmful viruses and bacteria can remain on surfaces for weeks, months, and even years. Superbugs which are resistant to antibiotics such as Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococci (VRE) pose additional challenges to keeping patients and hospital staff safe from infection.

Challenges in Disinfecting Hospital Rooms and Surfaces

Many challenges exist in preventing the spread of infection in hospital rooms and surfaces. Disease outbreaks have been traced back to many sources such as thermometers, blood pressure cuffs, sinks, and counters in patient rooms, and computer keyboards. This puts hospital staff at risk of contracting and spreading dangerous pathogens.

Hospital staff are expected to thoroughly clean patient rooms and use disinfectants known to kill pathogens of a previously infected patient. Some chemical disinfectants may require a long exposure time to provide effective disinfection and may not even be applied to all infected surfaces. Cleaning materials themselves such as mops or cleaning cloths may also become a source of transmission, spreading harmful pathogens rather than eliminating them.

Due to these challenges facing the healthcare environment with ineffective chemical treatments and the resistance of certain pathogens, it is imperative to incorporate enhanced disinfection with hospital UV disinfection.

Enhanced Disinfection with Hospital UV Disinfection

UV disinfection in hospitals is becoming an extremely popular method of assuring protection against the spread of harmful diseases, with a high rate of efficacy. According to a study published by Cambridge University, UV disinfection systems reported >99.99% effectiveness in eliminating resistant pathogens such as:

·        Middle Eastern respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) which had a reported mortality rate of approximately 36%

·        Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)

·        Mouse hepatitis virus, strain A59 (MHV-A59)

UV disinfection systems provide a high rate of efficacy, although they are most effective in hospitals when used in addition to standard cleaning of hard surfaces and should never be considered a substitute for good cleaning practices.

Automatic UV Disinfection Systems for Hospitals

UV disinfection in hospitals is gaining traction due to the high rate of effectiveness and also because of the ability to automate the disinfection process. Many types of hospital UV disinfection systems are available such as:

·        Portable UVC robots and UVC light carts

·        Stationary solutions such as UVC lamps in light fixtures, overhead doors, and doorways

·        UVC lamps in HVAC systems disinfect the air

·        UVC lamps in water systems for clean water supply

With a wide range of UVC disinfection systems available to incorporate into hospitals and healthcare facilities, automating an effective UV disinfection solution is much more attainable than in previous years. Integrating UV disinfection systems with building management systems allows for facility managers to activate UV light disinfection systems on demand or as an automatic cycle in various areas of the hospital.

Automated hospital UV disinfection systems provide an invaluable benefit to protect patients and staff as well as cost-effective operation with no required labor. Activating automated UV disinfection in operating rooms after surgeries and prior to new patient arrivals adds a protective layer to manual cleaning and can reach odd places that may get overlooked during manual cleaning processes.

A study published by the National Institute of Health (NIH) in 2013, concluded that an automated hospital UVC system led to a significant decrease in the total number of colony-forming units (CFUs) of many types of organisms including Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococci (VRE), C. difficile and Acinetobacter.

Hospitals can incorporate automated UV disinfection systems in operating rooms, patient rooms, labs, storage facilities and on equipment surfaces. UVC germicidal lamps offer an enhancement to traditional cleaning methods and are proven to be more effective than cleaning with chemicals alone.

LightSources Offers UVC Lamps for Any Hospital Disinfection System

For over 35 years, LightSources has been offering superior products and processes to OEMs as a world leader in the manufacturing of quartz germicidal lamps. Our partner company, LightTech in Hungary, allows us to provide prompt service of quality UV germicidal lamp solutions to our customers in Europe and Asia.

LightSources and LightTech design and produce UV germicidal lamps with peak UV output at 254nm for maximum effectiveness, 185nm ozone-producing lamps, and a wide selection of UVC lamp types for various applications:

·        Amalgam Lamps

·        Quartz Germicidal Lamps:

§  High output lamps

§  Standard output lamps

§  Germipak UV Cell lamps

§  U-lamps

§  Subminiature UVC lamps

§  R.P.T. UVC lamps

§  All-in-one submersible UVC lamps

·        Soft Glass Germicidal Lamps:

§  Standard and HO lamps

§  Compact lamps

·        Medium Pressure UV Lamps

§  Custom MP UV lamps

·        High-Pressure UV Lamps

§  Custom HP UV lamps

·        Quartz sleeves

·        Shatter+ Protech technology

·        Proprietary Bases and Sockets

Low-Pressure Amalgam UV Disinfection Lamps

LightSources provides the widest selection of high-quality pellet and spot amalgam technology in the lamp industry, with both standard and custom-engineered solutions available. Our amalgam lamps deliver the same high performance in either vertical or horizontal operations and yield up to three times the UVC output of other lamps comparable in length. Proprietary LongLife+ technology is applied to our amalgam line to reduce output depreciation, contributing to a long useful life of up to 16,000 hours with end-of-life output at 90% of initial UVC output. We offer a wide selection of spot and pellet amalgam lamps with custom sizes, shapes and UVC output available.

Quartz Germicidal Lamps

The type of fused quartz used in the lamp body determines UV wavelength emissions. Low ozone quartz delivers 90% emissions at 254nm, while very high ozone (VH) lamps clear fused quartz emit both 185nm and 254nm. Synthetic quartz is also available for an even higher ozone emission at 185nm. LightSources offers a wide selection of quartz lamps, standard output, high output, Germipak UV Cell germicidal lamps, and U-shaped quartz germicidal lamps.

Soft Glass Germicidal Lamps

Soft glass offers more variety with sizes and shapes than quartz glass with a wide range of operating currents. We engineer soft glass germicidal lamps with the highest in quality material and a wide range of sizes. Soft glass germicidal lamps are an economical option over quartz lamps, with custom shapes and sizes available.

 

UVC Robot: Autonomous Virus Killer on Wheels

Ultraviolet radiation in the UVC range is known for killing viruses, bacteria, and harmful pathogens in many applications. You can find UVC germicidal lamps in disinfection systems worldwide used to kill viruses and bacteria in water, in the air, and on surfaces. UVC disinfection lamps are mounted in various disinfection systems, like water treatment plants, air purification systems, and industrial machines.

With advances in technology and robotics, UVC germicidal solutions are available in many forms of automatic UVC robots. These UVC robots can roam indoors and outdoors, killing viruses and bacteria almost instantly. UVC germicidal lamps are proven to kill most infectious microorganisms in seconds and eliminate difficult-to-treat pathogens like Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) or vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) in minutes.

UVC Robots Beneficial in Many Environments

UVC robots are now popping up in many places such as hospitals, office buildings, shopping malls, libraries, and airports. Outdoor disinfection robots can be found on school campuses, industrial parks, and many other public gathering areas. These disinfection robots can be programmed to spray a disinfectant and also emit powerful UVC radiation at the precise wavelength of 254 nm, proven to have the most germicidal effectiveness.

The benefits of these autonomous robots are clear:

• No labor required – UV disinfection robots can disinfect a large area with no labor required. They can run for 24 hours continually and even head back to their charging station when needed.
• No infectious disease exposure to humans – while the robots are disinfecting an area, human employees such as nurses in hospitals are not exposed the superbugs that may be lingering in the room.
• Effective germ-killing ability – UVC robots are proven to eliminate most viruses and bacteria and even hard-to-treat pathogens which pose serious risks when exposed to humans.
• Safe when used without people in the room – UVC robots are set up to enter hospital rooms or other areas when vacant to avoid UV exposure to humans. They can be controlled remotely and programmed to shut down if movement is detected.

Proven Effectiveness of UVC Radiation in Hospital Rooms

According to a study in Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology, UVC devices effectively eliminated bacteria on contaminated surfaces both in the line of sight and also behind objects. UVC radiation was 99.9% effective in reducing the counts of vegetative bacteria on surfaces within 15 minutes and was also proven 99.8% effective in reducing superbugs and C. difficile spores within 50 minutes.

UVC robots and UV germicidal devices are only as powerful as the quality of UVC germicidal lamps installed on the systems. Using high-quality UV germicidal lamps is key to achieving maximum germicidal effectiveness.

LightSources Provides UV Lamps for UVC Robots

LightSources is a valued supplier to OEMs worldwide of high-tech, high-quality UV lamps including a wide selection of UVC germicidal lamps and components. Our UV disinfection lamps include many variations of the most effective types of germicidal lamps:

Low-Pressure Mercury Lamps – low-pressure mercury lamps support a wide range of germicidal applications with seven various types of lamps including:

• Standard quartz
• High output quartz
• Compact quartz
• GU lamps
• Standard softglass
• High-output softglass
• Compact softglass

Standard low-pressure mercury lamps provide the greatest efficiency, converting 40% of the lamp’s electrical power into UVC radiation at precisely 254 nm. High-output mercury lamps deliver twice the UVC output. Softglass lamps can operate on a lower current and provide high efficiency. Low-pressure mercury lamps also provide long-lasting effectiveness at up to 13,000 hours of operating life.

Low Pressure Amalgam Lamps – amalgam germicidal lamps can operate over a broader range of temperatures making them ideal in air or water applications that experience fluctuating temperatures between 4 – 40°C. Amalgam UV germicidal lamps by LightSources provide three times the UVC output over standard lamps of the same size. Our UV lighting engineers offer the ability to custom design amalgam lamps to meet your needs such as higher temperature requirements or compact space requirements. Our amalgam lamps provide value with reduced maintenance expenses and a long operating life up to 16,000 hours. We provide spot and pellet amalgam technology with proprietary technology that delivers higher efficiency even in power-dimming conditions.

Medium Pressure Ultraviolet Lamps (MPUV) – MPUV lamps are commonly used in curing inks and polymers although have been found to be very effective in many germicidal applications. MPUV lamps are found in water disinfection and air purification systems. LightSources offers a wide selection of MPUV lamps varying for 100 watts per inch (wpi) to 700 wpi designed with custom phosphor blends to achieve specific wavelengths to match your application needs. We engineer your germicidal lamps to meet specific OEM requirements.

Quartz Sleeves – Quartz sleeves protect lamps from breakage, leakage, air and water flow, and temperature fluctuations without affecting efficient operations. LightSources offers domed type and open-ended quartz sleeves engineered with only high-quality material.

Electronic Ballasts – Our electronic ballasts provide many advantages such as the ability to operate on multiple supply voltages with insensitivity to variations in line voltage. Our ballasts provide high power and high efficiency with a lightweight design.