ciated with them — caused by the likes of norovirus, MRSA and so on
down the line. Our biggest target was C. diff.
Although proper cleaning and disinfection is a purposefully low-tech
enterprise, we chose to supplement our approach with high-tech
weaponry. At the time, our infection prevention team was in the early
stages of evaluating the use of whole-room disinfection technology as
an adjunct to our terminal cleaning. I wound up taking ownership of
this project and spent the next 2 years reviewing technologies from
vendors that use different kinds of disinfection — ultraviolet light
J U L Y 2 0 1 7 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y. N E T • 7 5
tion in areas not directly illuminated. The visible wave of white
light contains a narrow spectrum of indigo-colored light. It's not
ultraviolet light — the indigo color is just outside the UV spectrum.
Unlike whole-room disinfection systems that require a tech to
wheel a device into the OR and activate it, overhead lights provide
continuous environmental disinfection. You don't have to take the
room out of service for 30 or 60 minutes. In a busy OR, whole-
room disinfection could easily steal an hour from your day.
Instead, I can get another case done.
The light fixtures install easily into the ceiling of any room. You
simply remove the old lights in the ceiling and replace them with
the same size lights. With LED lights, there's no bulb replace-
ment and they're designed to last for 10 years. For a 10-light OR,
it costs about $30,000.
Since we installed the LEDs, our own studies have shown a 70%
reduction of bacterial burden. The lights also give our surgeons
peace of mind that we're doing all we can to prevent surgical site
infections in our patients.
— Mike Pankey, RN, MBA
Mr. Pankey (mpankey@ascspartanburg.com) is the administrator of the
Ambulatory Surgery Center of Spartanburg (S.C.).
