Peroxide fog can sterilize hospitals

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IRVINE, Calif., June 28 (UPI) -- A new peroxide technology may be an effective way to disinfect hospitals to reduce patient contact with pathogens, a U.S. infection prevention firm says.

Officials of Advanced Sterilization Products in Irvine, Calif., say the GLOSAIR Healthcare Environmental Decontamination may help augment manual cleaning of hospital patient and operating rooms.

"Despite healthcare facilities' efforts to properly clean and disinfect patient and procedure rooms as well as operating suites, studies show deadly infections borne by pathogens can continue to live on surfaces, such as bed rails, television remotes and IV pumps, and over time infect other patients," Dr. William Jarvis, a global expert on hospital-acquired infection control and prevention, says in a statement. "The good news is that infections related to the healthcare environment are almost always preventable and hospitals now have new infection prevention tools to safely and effectively disinfect the patient environment, which can help keep patients safe."

The GLOSAIR technology disinfects by creating a fog of 5 percent hydrogen peroxide that is uniformly dispersed to disinfect all hard nonporous surfaces, including difficult-to-reach areas.

The findings are being presented at the APIC Symposium at the Baltimore Hilton Hotel.