has only recently been used in healthcare settings. DHP has the same
biocidal potency against bacteria, viruses, fungi and sporoforms as
hydrogen peroxide vapors and mists, but is able to achieve its biocidal
effect at far more dilute concentrations because the hydrogen peroxide
molecules don't have to compete with water molecules to attach to
microorganisms. It's safe for human exposure and can be used continu-
ously throughout the day. This means air and surface disinfection is
occurring before, after and while a procedure is underway, and when an
open instrument tray or surgical wound are vulnerable to the settling of
contaminants.
You can place DHP systems in an existing HVAC system. Like hydro-
gen peroxide vapors and ozone, DHP can disinfect an entire room
because air carries it to both high- and low-touch/center and remote
surfaces. A recent study evaluating surface contamination of obscure,
low-touch surfaces (those not likely to be addressed with manual
cleaning) demonstrated a 93% reduction after just 7 days of DHP use
and a 98% reduction at 30 days. This underscores the ability of DHP,
much like hydrogen peroxide vapors, to achieve whole-room disinfec-
tion by reaching all surfaces within a space.
From an operational standpoint, DHP systems offer an advantage
not only because they don't impact room turnover time — a critical
factor for facilities with high caseloads — but also because, like upper
room UV-C or visible light systems, they are truly automated and don't
require staff to operate or oversee. They're also far less expensive
than mobile UV-C or hydrogen peroxide vapor systems.
Drawback: DHP is less potent in the presence of water, so its effica-
cy is diminished on wet surfaces.
• Visible or high-intensity narrow-spectrum (HINS) light. The
antimicrobial properties of visible light have been recognized for cen-
turies and are thought to be the reason early hospital designs featured
A P R I L 2 0 1 9 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y. N E T • 7 5
