ICT's Product Locator: March 2023
Infection Control Today's® Product Locator is a monthly column highlighting some of the latest advanced technology in the infection prevention field.
To help improve the vital work of those infection preventionists, nurses, and physicians in the infection control field, Infection Control Today® (ICT®) for interesting, supportive, and innovative products. These are this month's picks.
VireXbuster Spray
The COVID-19 pandemic has changed everyone’s life. Despite masks, social distancing, and vaccinations, which are all important measures, the virus continues to mutate and circulate.
According to the makers of VireXbuster Spray, individuals can potentially touch 5 infected surfaces in an hour. And results of a study have confirmed that individuals touch their face up to an average of 20-plus times per hour, thus potentially exposing themselves to the SARS-CoV-2 virus.1 Using the VireXbuster spray can interrupt this infection transmission channel by keeping frequently touched surfaces continuously disinfected with a permanent and affordable antiviral and antimicrobial coating.
Enrico Brega, chief operations officer for DaXem GmBh, which invented and manufactures VireXbuster Spray, said to ICT®. “Our ultimate goal is to provide our customers with coating solutions that improve their quality of life so that they can live in a safer and more hygienic environment. Furthermore, the underlying technology of our products is a patented hybrid coating composition that has 2 important characteristics, namely excellent biocidal properties toward a broader spectrum of biocide activity combined with high compatibility with most substrates.”
According to DaXem GmBh, a single application of VireXbuster Spray coating will keep surfaces hygienically clean for up to 12 months; in addition, VireXbuster Spray deactivates SARS-CoV-2 by 99.9% and kills bacteria such as Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus by 99.99%. VireXbuster Spray helps repair scratched surfaces, filling the thin grooves where viruses and bacteria can settle.
MedMaster M4SEDIC Series
Kenall’s MedMaster M4SEDIC24 Series features 405-nm LED Indigo-Clean light combined with white LEDs providing continuous environmental disinfection as well as ambient light.
Indigo-Clean, a patented, continuous environmental disinfection technology, safely and automatically kills harmful bacteria linked to health care–acquired infections (HAIs). This narrow-spectrum light fixture can be used in surgical suites, critical care, and recovery areas. Unlike UV light disinfection, staff members can be in the room when the light is in use.
Indigo-Clean targets naturally occurring molecules within the bacteria to produce intracellular reactive oxygen species, which create an oxidative environment that kills the bacteria.
“Unlike UV disinfection, this technology is safe for occupants, and it reaches places normal cleaning doesn’t touch,” Cliff Yahnke, PhD, chief scientist and head of clinical affairs at Kenall, told ICT®. “Indigo-Clean is clinically proven to safely kill harmful bacteria, including SARS-CoV-2, influenza-A, [methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus] and [Clostridioides difficile] without damage to eyes, skin, or materials. Cost-effective and efficacious, Indigo-Clean pays for itself in just months by reducing surgical site infections by 73% and helping health care facilities provide a better standard of care. These results, combined with the additional cost per patient due to contracting an HAI, suggest that preventing even a single infection creates a positive return on investment and drives down costs for health care providers.”
HAT-B containers
In July 2022, Airnov Healthcare Packaging launched HAT-B, an active and ergonomic flip-top container designed to protect test strips, pharmaceuticals, and nutraceuticals from moisture. Moisture protection is integrated into the bottom of the tube as a raw desiccant, according to the company website. The vials are made with a reduced amount of plastic, contain adjustable desiccant quantities, and are composed of versatile sorbent material to fit stability requirements, the website notes.
“We’re very excited to be able to provide an extended product line that continues to be key for protection against moisture while helping our clients in the pharmaceuticals and nutraceuticals industry meet their sustainability goals,” Dirk Maehr, global head of sales and marketing at Airnov, told ICT®.
Suitable for the diagnostic, pharmaceutical, and nutraceutical markets, the vials come in 2 sizes. They are also compatible with existing filling lines and desiccants. The product is manufactured in China, and Airnov has also increased its manufacturing capacity to meet growing demand for its HAT-SNAP line of products.
Key features of HAT-B include tamper-evidence security, easy snapping of the closure onto the container, and customization with options such as molecular sieve, silica gel, or a combination of both, according to the company website.
https://www.airnov-healthcare.com/
IntelliSep
Cytovale’s diagnostic tool, IntelliSep, is a first-of-its-kind test aimed at decreasing the time, cost, and complexity of sepsis identification to help hospital staff save lives. IntelliSep, which received 510(k) clearance from the FDA in January 2023, has the potential to simplify and accelerate sepsis care and improve patient outcomes. Designed for clinical laboratory use, a benchtop instrument is used to assess the state of innate immune activity in just 10 minutes. A routine blood sample is evaluated to determine the biomechanical properties of the sample’s white blood cells, which differ in patients who have sepsis.
IntelliSep’s unique approach assesses the body’s immune response to an infection using immune cell morphology, the act of interrogating cells, and observing their reaction. In simple terms, it applies pressure to cells to see how quickly they return to their normal shape. The test provides a score, called the IntelliSep Index, from 0.1 to 10. Clinicians can use that score to help inform rapid treatment decisions to optimize resource utilization, improve care, and ultimately save lives.
“Sepsis is one of the fastest-moving, costliest, most prolific, and least understood causes of death,” Ajay Shah, PhD, Cytovale’s cofounder and CEO, told ICT®. “Cytovale’s IntelliSep test provides a rapid evaluation of a patient’s likelihood of having sepsis within 3 days. This key information may help health systems comply with SEP-1 guidelines, preserve resources, and support quick, confident physician decisions to improve care and reduce mortality.”
NOVA infection prevention programs
Nozin NOVA infection prevention programs are clinically proven to significantly reduce health care–associated infections (HAIs) and surgical site infections (SSIs). In partnership with more than 1000 hospitals, Nozin has pioneered and implemented successful infection reduction programs that demonstrate improved patient outcomes.
“According to the CDC, there’s been a significant increase in HAIs,” John Willimann, CEO, told ICT®. “Nasal colonization represents a leading risk factor contributing toward HAIs. Nozin provides hospitals with a clinically proven decolonization solution to mitigate the risk of infection while improving patient outcomes. We’re grateful to support hospitals with sustainable programs of universal nasal decolonization as this paradigm shift in patient safety becomes standard of care.”
NOVA infection prevention programs are powered by Nozin Nasal Sanitizer antiseptic. Nozin Nasal Sanitizer contains a patented formula that delivers 12-hour persistence, kills 99.99% of pathogens, and is clinically proven.
Independent hospital outcomes demonstrate that daily application of Nozin Nasal Sanitizer antiseptic can help reduce the risk of HAI and SSI.
Halo Disinfection System
For more than a decade, Halosil International has helped health care and research facilities destroy pathogens with the Halo Disinfection System, which pairs sporicidal HaloMist disinfectant with the HaloFogger to ensure whole-room coverage with repeatable efficacy and reliable results. Touchless application of HaloMist reaches everywhere to ensure complete disinfection of the treated space. Compatibility with electronics is excellent. The reasonable cost of acquisition and consumables makes the Halo Disinfection System an affordable choice for facilities of all sizes.
HaloMist hydrogen peroxide-based disinfectant was listed as a fogging formulation on EPA’s recently created List Q, which provides cleaning and disinfection guidelines for rare and emerging viral pathogens. List Q facilitates the search for products eligible for use against any of the 3 main categories of EVPs grouped by their difficulty to inactivate.
“HaloMist applied with the HaloFogger kills Clostridioides difficile, a spore-forming organism, on hard, nonporous surfaces. Therefore, HaloMist meets the guidance for effective use against all 3 tiers of viruses. The Halo Disinfection System is a solution for combating pathogens both today and tomorrow,” Maryalice StClair, chief executive officer of Halosil International Inc, told ICT®.
CDC Strategies Preventing Hospital-Onset C difficile Effectiveness Inconclusive in Testing
April 15th 2024Hospitals using CDC prevention strategies had different incidences of hospital-associated Clostridioides difficile infection compared to those that didn't, but the reasons are not necessarily the strategies themselves.
