Innovative system sanitises hands in three seconds
A new hand sanitation device for use by hospital healthcare workers and doctors has been demonstrated by Germgard Lighting, an early phase, medical technology company based in New Jersey in the US.
“Current infection control practice is bare hand sanitation between patient visits often followed by donning medical exam gloves. However, recontamination of the gloved hand inevitably occurs when room surfaces, healthcare worker's and doctor's clothing, instruments, inevitably covered by pathogens, are touched by the healthcare worker’s hand during a patient visit and then transferred to the patient during care,” said Dr Eugene Gordon, Germgard's acting ceo and cto.
“Our patented device, based on ultraviolet (UV-C) exposure of the gloved hand within a small, closed volume, has been designed to allow a system of frequent, fast, and immediately available hand sanitation during patient care, interrupting the infection pathway in a way that infrequent bare hand sanitation cannot.
“The UV-C is blocked by the exam gloves and no UV-C leaves the device, hence the process is totally safe for the healthcare worker, doctor, and patient."
According to Dr Anthony Harris, Associate Professor of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine at the University of Maryland, School of Medicine, Germgard's approach “represents a potentially innovative improvement over the current practice of bare hand sanitation between patient visits and within a given patient visit. By potentially improving disinfection compliance, it may advance patient care, protect the patient, and improve healthcare delivery outcomes."
The ongoing testing study, carried out by MaryPaul Laboratories of Sparta, NJ has demonstrated, in preliminary studies, that Pseudomonas aeruginosa, the first of a series of test pathogens, was inactivated to better than 99.999% in three seconds over all glove surfaces including the space between fingers. The demonstrated sanitation capability significantly exceeds current infection control guidelines published by CDC, and requirements set by FDA.
Ongoing studies will challenge a variety of organisms, including Bacillus spores.
"The technology could substantially mitigate nosocomial infections including those from antibiotic resistant bacteria such as MRSA by reducing hand colonisation within patient contact opportunities," Dr Harris added.
Additionally, it is expected that this technology will demonstrate that it can inactivate all pathogens including virus, and rugged C. difficile and anthrax spores. Current bare hand hygiene practice based on lengthy hand washing and/or alcohol rubs takes about 30 seconds, typically achieves only 99.5% inactivation, and is unable to sanitise spores.