Far UV-C Light Shows Promise for Decontaminating Medical Equipment in Clinical Settings

Concept images of Far-UVC

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Portable medical equipment is a well-documented vector for the transmission of health care-associated pathogens, yet consistent cleaning after each patient use remains a challenge. A new study investigated the effectiveness of wall-mounted far UV-C light technology as an automated, adjunctive solution to enhance equipment decontamination in hospital settings.

The study, “Evaluation of a Far Ultraviolet-C Device for Decontamination of Portable Equipment in Clinical Areas,” led by contact author, Curtis J. Donskey, MD, and conducted at the Cleveland VA Medical Center, evaluated a system using krypton-chloride excimer lamps that emit a narrow spectrum of UV-C light (222 nm) with a field of illumination of ∼60° per lamp. These devices are mounted on walls and equipped with motion sensors that shut off UV-C delivery when people are nearby, ensuring safety. The study assessed the system’s ability to reduce contamination on patient transport chairs and physical therapy equipment stored in equipment rooms.

“Adequate disinfection of shared portable equipment is a challenge in busy clinical settings,” Donskey told Infection Control Today^®. “Our results demonstrate that far UV-C light can be an effective adjunctive method for decontamination of equipment. Using a far UV-C technology that turns off when people are detected eliminates any potential safety concerns.”

Real-world testing on 28 in-use transport chairs revealed significant reductions in total aerobic colony counts and pathogen presence after 4 and 12 hours of UV-C exposure in a room 35.2 m³ used for storing patient transport chairs.

The authors wrote, “We found that contamination was frequently present on in-use transport chairs and physical therapy equipment. For transport chairs, wheels that contact the floor and seats that contact patients were contaminated more often than the handles used by staff to push the chairs. The far UV-C technology reduced methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Candida auris [strain Antibiotic Resistance Bank (AR)-0381 (clade II; East Asia origin)] isolates inoculated on wheels, seats, and handles of patient transport chairs by >2 and >3 log10 CFU after 4 and 12 hours of exposure, respectively.”

Contamination rates dropped from 50% at baseline to just 1.2% after 12 hours of exposure. Notably, no pathogens were found on the seats or handles after treatment, and contamination on wheels decreased from 75% to 5%.

Physical therapy equipment also showed improvement. While the reduction in contamination did not reach statistical significance in the 40 UV-C–exposed items compared to 20 controls, none of the UV-C–treated devices tested positive for pathogens after 12 hours versus 20% of the controls. The technology appeared particularly effective in decreasing total bacterial loads, although the authors noted that further research is needed to confirm these findings across broader settings.

The authors concluded that far UV-C was “effective in reducing real-world contamination on in-use transport chairs and physical therapy equipment. These results suggest that the technology could potentially be useful as an adjunctive measure for decontamination of portable equipment in clinical areas.”

Importantly, the study emphasized safety. Traditional 254-nm UV-C light poses risks if humans are accidentally exposed. In contrast, far UV-C light at a wavelength of 222 nm has been shown to be safer within established exposure limits. If a malfunction occurs, the far UV-C system still delivers doses below harmful thresholds, providing an added layer of security in clinical environments.

Another far UV-C scientist, Ewan Eadie, PhD, MSci, CSci, MIPEM, the head of Scientific Services in the Photobiology Unit at Ninewells Hospital and Medical School in Dundee, Scotland, and not associated with the study, highlighted the study's improved safety.

"Germicidal UV-C light has long been effective as an adjunct to manual cleaning in health care, but traditional 254-nm UV-C can cause skin and eye irritation with accidental exposure," Eadie told ICT. "This study instead used far UV-C (222 nm), which offers similar germicidal benefits with improved safety. As with all UV-C light, effectiveness depends on line-of-sight exposure; shadowed or obscured surfaces may remain contaminated. These limitations are well known to the industry, with existing mitigations to compensate. The additional safety profile makes far UV-C a practical alternative where human exposure is a concern."

Although the study was limited to a single facility and focused on just 2 equipment types, the results suggest that far UV-C technology could serve as a useful supplement to manual cleaning protocols. It may be especially valuable during overnight hours when equipment is idle, offering a low-effort strategy to improve infection control.

Further research is needed to evaluate the long-term use of this technology during active hospital hours and to determine whether it can contribute to lower health care-associated infection rates across health care systems.