Surfacide to Host C. diff Experts at APIC

Surfacide will be hosting two sessions in Nashville at its APIC booth #343 to discuss recent impactful research findings at Faxton St. Luke’s Healthcare (FSLH) in Utica, N.Y.  The ‘Meet the Authors’ sessions will focus on the study of the effectiveness of a Surfacide Helios Triple Emitter UV-C disinfection system. The principal investigators Heather Bernard RN, BS, CIC director of infection prevention at Mohawk Valley Health System, and Jordan Little, director of hospitality services, also at Mohawk Valley Health System, will be available to discuss the 41 percent reduction of C. diff infections in 2014 at FSLH following the year-long use of Surfacide’s next-generation, patented UV-C delivery technology.

The investigators are scheduled to discuss “The Impact of Ultraviolet (UV) Disinfection System Coupled With Evidence-Based Interventions on the Incidence of Hospital-Onset Clostridium difficile” on Saturday, June 27 from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and on Sunday, June 28, rom 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Surfacide booth.

“Multi-drug-resistant organisms like C.diff have long been a formidable foe in healthcare environments,” says Bernard. “The 41 percent reduction in C. diff infection rates is very significant and suggests that Surfacide’s technology holds promise for ensuring that patient care areas are as microbe-free as possible.”

The Surfacide Helios system utilizes ultraviolet (UV-C) light energy, an evidenced-based disinfection modality for controlling microorganisms – including those that are multi-drug resistant.  However, unlike first generation, single-emitter UV technology  that employs outmoded engineering and design, and whose effectiveness is extremely diminished by distances to surfaces, lack of effective energy dose delivery to all surfaces and overall missed surfaces due to shadows, the Surfacide Helios system incorporates three separate emitters that are used during the same disinfection cycle. This allows a larger space to be treated during the same disinfection cycle and overcomes the main challenges to first generation technology –shadows and distance.  Furthermore, the Helios system includes a validation component using a proprietary laser mapping technology sent to the Cloud for interpretation. This results in a more intense level of energy being delivered to every surface, in less time and with confirmation. 

The Surfacide Helios system can treat an entire patient room via its three towers placed in a room typically in less than 20 minutes. Utilizing this system at the conclusion of a patient’s stay will help ensure that the room is safer for the next patient.

“The Faxton St. Luke’s data is impressive and supports what we are seeing in other healthcare institutions,” says Gunner Lyslo, chief executive officer of Surfacide. “What makes the findings exciting is that Faxton St. Luke’s investigators did not change or introduce other efforts (hand hygiene, environmental cleaning, or antibiotic stewardship) during the observation period.  While this was not a clinical trial, the Faxton St. Luke’s team is confident that the Surfacide system made an important contribution to its C. diff control efforts.”

Source: Surfacide, LLC