From UV-C Innovations to Reducing Contaminated Blood Cultures: An Interview With Mark D. Povroznik, PharmD

Is UV-C technology effective? Is it worth the cost? Infection Control Today^® (ICT^®) spoke with Mark D. Povroznik, PharmD, vice president of quality, chief quality officer, and chairman of infection control at West Virginia University Medicine, United Hospital Center, an expert who frequently speaks at industry conferences and government meetings, including the CDC, about a presentation he recently gave that covered recent developments beyond standard cleaning techniques and disinfection methods and key challenges in infection prevention. Povroznik emphasized the importance of collaboration in health care. He also shared his experience addressing various organizations, including the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Defense, about these topics.

During his recent presentation to the CDC, he highlighted the transition from mercury-based UV-C to Xenon UV disinfection systems at WVU Medicine, showcasing nearly 14 years of experience. Povroznik discussed the challenges faced in achieving consistent high-touch surface disinfection compliance and emphasized the significance of using Xenon UV robots with FDA authorization. Povroznik proposed changes to environmental guidelines to include whole-room microbial reduction as an essential component of infection control programs.

"I was able to share a voice of support for the CDC to propose changes to the environmental guidelines to recommend whole room microbial reduction as a valued adjunct to infection control programs," Povroznik told ICT. That's why we got involved in UV in 2010 when we built a state-of-the-art brand-new hospital facility. And, you know, the thought there was, it's bioburden free, let's keep it bio burden free. And that was what I was sharing that whole journey over time, and to further support that, they endorse it."

Addressing skepticism towards UV-C technology, the speaker stressed its proven efficacy in reducing hospital-onset infections, particularly C. difficile. They noted the substantial cost avoidance and improved patient safety outcomes, advocating for the technology to achieve "Target Zero" for health care-associated infections.

"There was a time when I was promoting this to our leadership, and it was an investment. There was skepticism around the table, which was well over a decade ago. I would say that we will monitor moving forward, and if that skepticism doesn't go away, we'll quit using it and deal with the consequences. But over all that period, a lot has changed. We now have peer-reviewed published literature. We have FDA authorization around pulsing on when you put those 2 together; there shouldn't be skepticism. Now, it's more about the affordability, and the ability to operationalize becomes a hallmark discussion, especially coming through COVID-19, looking at Candida auris and the effects of Pulse Xenon to destroy some of these superbugs. Skepticism is not a term I hear so much of anymore. It's "How do we afford it? How do we operationalize it?'"

The discussion also touched on Povroznik's presentation at the 2024 Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America conference, which focused on reducing contaminated blood cultures. By implementing a comprehensive approach involving technique, policy, culture change, and technology like Steripath, he and his team significantly reduced contamination rates, aligning with the national movement targeting a 1% contamination rate. The presentation emphasized the critical role of staff awareness and accountability in achieving sustained improvements.

"So across nearly 140,000 blood culture collections in WVU medicine and a baseline contamination rate of 3.6%, we were slightly above the national average. We've marched closer to 1%, so that was our story. We are now at 1.48% across 24 facilities, with several of our facilities already achieving less than or equal to 1%.... So that is a tremendous cost savings to the institution."