Preventing COVID Transmission in Hospitals with UV Light Sterilization

UV light sterilization in hospitals is a powerful technique that is becoming increasingly frequently employed in the ongoing effort to prevent the spread of harmful viruses and drug-resistant bacteria in healthcare institutions.

The Context: HAI or Hospital-Acquired Infection

Patients’ immune systems may already be impaired while they’re sick and confined to a hospital bed, so exposing them to dangerous viruses and germs on top of their illness can have disastrous results. According to the Authority of Drug Control, one out of every 29 patients gets infected with a hospital-acquired infection (HAI). Infections or transmissions can be linked to hazardous bacteria on hospital surfaces in patient rooms that were overlooked by manual cleaning, or infection-causing gadgets used in medical operations.

HAIs include pneumonia caused by a ventilator, bloodstream infections caused by a central line, and urinary tract infections caused by a catheter. Preventative measures such as appropriate hand hygiene, personal protective equipment, manual cleaning and disinfection procedures, and disinfecting all machines and tools are being implemented in hospitals to combat these illnesses.

Given the concentrated global efforts to prevent disease spread, UVC sterilizing light for hospitals is emerging as a new tool for increasing patient and staff safety with excellent efficacy against a wide spectrum of pathogens.

UVCs in Hospitals: Do they Get the job done?

In hospitals and the medical business, UV light for disinfection is a frequent practice. Most doctors are aware of UV light’s germ-killing properties, which penetrate the DNA of viruses and bacteria and break their nucleic acid, preventing them from replicating and causing disease. UV light sterilizing efficacy is governed by the intensity of the UV light, as well as the distance between the UV light and the target.

The intensity of UV light and the exposure time is measured all across in micro-watt seconds per square centimeter (mW S/cm2) and is used to calculate the precise dose of UV radiation required to eliminate dangerous bacteria. According to an article in Infection Control Today, the following bacteria require the following exposure to obtain an efficient 99 percent kill rate:

1. Salmonella Enteritidis with 7,600 micrograms per square centimeter
2. 7,000 micrograms per square centimeter for E. coli
3. 8,000 micrograms per square centimeter for the hepatitis virus
4. 60,000 micrograms per square centimeter for Aspergillus flavus
5. Shigella dysentery with 4,200 micrograms per square centimeter
6. Rotavirus with 21,000 micrograms per square centimeter
7. The virus causing Influenza with 6,600 micrograms per square centimeter

3.800 mWS/cm2 Legionella pneumophila

With the right quantity of exposure at the optimum distance, UV germicidal lamps kill these infections and many others.

UV Light Sterilization Efficacy: Factors to Consider

Objects that are obstructed by another object, or are in a shadow affect the amount of UV radiation received by the surface. Those items that find themselves further away from the light source may require more exposure time, and surfaces that are obstructed by an item or in a shadow impact the amount of UV radiation received by the surface. UVC radiation has high energy and is subject to the inverse square law, which states that the intensity of light diminishes with increasing distance. Although UV light can reflect off of surfaces, the ability to do so is dependent on the surface. Because organic material absorbs UV light, keeping surfaces clean removes organic compounds prior to UV sterilization, allowing for increased reflectivity and UV light absorption on the surface.

UV Light is used in a variety of hospital sterilization devices.

UV light disinfection is available in a variety of forms and types of devices, giving hospitals a variety of options for improving patient safety. Hospitals that seek to use technology to combat HAIs and the spread of disease are showing increasing interest in UV light for disinfection. UVC lamps with high output can be utilized for surface sterilization with lamps placed above counters, in upper room UVGI systems, and in HVAC systems to disinfect the air.

UVC robots are now offering another degree of safety to patients and medical workers in hospitals all around the world, thanks to the necessity of direct exposure time. A UVC robot may walk about a room, releasing UVC radiation to disinfect darkened areas and difficult-to-reach areas. A healthcare employee no longer needs to enter the room to reposition a UVC cleaning device. In reality, most UVC robots return to their charging station when they need to.

Ultraviolet Light, too has come out to be a valuable instrument to help prevent the transmission of disease and safeguard patients and workers, has resurfaced. UV light sterilization systems and UVC robots are gaining popularity as a practical and cost-effective means of disinfection, in addition to rising in use in hospitals.

UVC Lamps Provide High-Efficacy Sterilization

Servotech offers OEMs of all sizes with high-quality, high-tech UVC lamps in a wide range of types and styles. UV light offers solutions with huge benefits to medical facilities and institutions faced with challenges in fighting superbugs.

We provide a large assortment of high-tech UVC germicidal lamps for air, surface, and water sterilization, as well as UV light sterilization in hospitals. Our lighting engineers have extensive knowledge of UV radiation and can create unique UV lamps to match your specific needs. We are among the leading suppliers of UV sterilization lamps thanks to our professional lamp designers, state-of-the-art glass production, high-quality lamp components, and patented technology.

Read also: Explained – How UVC Disinfection Works