Researchers Present 'a Novel, Automated, Efficient Environmental Disinfection Technology that Significantly Reduces C. difficile, VRE and MRSA Contamination'

Researchers Present 'a Novel, Automated, Efficient Environmental Disinfection
Technology that Significantly Reduces C. difficile, VRE and MRSA
Contamination'

SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 12 /PRNewswire/ -- In a study presented at the 49th
Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy (ICAAC),
researchers used a mobile, automated UV device to decontaminate hospital rooms
at the Cleveland Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center in Ohio and analyzed its
ability to remove troublesome bacteria, including C. difficile spores. The
device, known as Tru-D, uses reflected UVC germicidal energy to decontaminate
air and surfaces, including those in primary shadows. Tru-D is manufactured by
Lumalier in Memphis, Tennessee.

Curtis Donskey, MD, Chair of the Infection Control Committee at the Cleveland
VA Medical Center, concluded that Tru-D is a "novel method for cleaning
hospital rooms...easy to use...and more effective than standard disinfection
for removing hardy bacteria. The Tru-D device was able to decontaminate all
surfaces in 40 hospital rooms, including hard-to-clean surfaces such as the
undersides of tables." 18% of sites under the edges of bedside tables were
still contaminated with MRSA after routine hospital cleaning, versus 0% after
Tru-D use. Research revealed that disinfection with Tru-D reduced the
frequency of positive MRSA and VRE cultures by 89%.

"C. difficile spores are especially challenging for hospital staff," Dr.
Donskey said. On inoculated surfaces, application of Tru-D using the "spore"
setting consistently reduced recovery of C. difficile spores and MRSA by >2-3
logs. Similar VRE reduction was achieved in about half the time using a lower
dose setting. "The UV device is computerized and can assess how much is needed
for decontamination by measuring the reflected UV radiation from surfaces in
the room," stated Donskey. "It's inexpensive to operate and requires no
cleaning supplies." After viewing results, Dr. Donskey requested the purchase
of several Tru-D units for the Cleveland VA Medical Center.

Other researchers agreed. "UVC radiation is an exciting new technology for
disinfecting patient rooms and contaminated surfaces in healthcare," said Luke
Chen, MBBS, FRACP, assistant professor of medicine in the Division of
Infectious Diseases at Duke University Medical Center. "The Tru-D device
demonstrated consistency and rapidity in killing microorganisms," Dr. Chen
explained. "There is potential to use this technology to rapidly clean and
turn around patient rooms, clinic space or waiting rooms."

John Boyce, MD, chief of the Infectious Diseases Section at the Hospital of
Saint Raphael and clinical professor of medicine at Yale University School of
Medicine, added, "The advantages of the Tru-D device are that it is easy to
employ and that it can reduce the number of positive bacterial cultures
substantially."

Dr. Boyce authored a 2008 disinfection study of vaporized hydrogen peroxide, a
technology requiring specially-trained operators and 4 to 6 hours to clean a
room. "The UV radiation device has the potential to be effective, faster, and
less expensive to operate," stated Boyce.

Results presented by Dr. William Rutala PhD., M.P.H., at the 2009 APIC
Conference (Association of Professionals in Infection Control and
Epidemiology) showed similar results; a consistent 3.91 Log10 reduction for
MRSA, 3.36 Log10 reduction for VRE, 3.77 Log10 reduction for Acinetobacter,
and 2.67 Log10 reduction for C. difficile. Dr. Rutala's APIC presentation can
be found at http://www.disinfectionandsterilization.org.

Tru-D inventor Jeffrey L Deal, MD, FACS, DTMH, refined this advanced
disinfection solution over a ten-year span, working closely with Lumalier to
insure that Tru-D technology is readily available for broad deployment.

Contact: Chuck Dunn at 800-774-5771, ChuckDunn@lumalier.com, or
http://www.lumalier.com

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SOURCE Lumalier Corporation

Chuck Dunn of Lumalier, +1-800-774-5771, ChuckDunn@lumalier.com