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. 2019 Sep:27:137-140.
doi: 10.1016/j.pdpdt.2019.05.034. Epub 2019 May 29.

Pulsed xenon ultraviolet and non-thermal atmospheric plasma treatments are effective for the disinfection of air in hospital blood sampling rooms

Shan-Ni Wang  1 , Jing-Jing Li  1 , Ying-Xin Liu  2 , Zhi Lin  2 , Jiao-Jiao Qiao  1 , Li-Hua Chen  3 , Yu Li  3 , Yong Wu  3 , Mei-Mei Wang  1 , Yun-Bo Liu  4 , Chen Yan  5 , Zhi-Heng Chen  6 , Chang-Qing Gao  7
Affiliations

Pulsed xenon ultraviolet and non-thermal atmospheric plasma treatments are effective for the disinfection of air in hospital blood sampling rooms

Shan-Ni Wang et al. Photodiagnosis Photodyn Ther. 2019 Sep.

Abstract

Background and objectives: Non-thermal atmospheric plasma treatment and pulsed xenon ultraviolet (PX-UV) treatment are widely used in disinfection of hospital environments. However, their effectiveness has not been evaluated against a comparator. The objective of this study is to evaluate their effectiveness in the disinfection of pathogens in the air in hospital blood sampling rooms.

Methods: Samples were taken from the air before and after disinfection with PX-UV and non-thermal atmospheric plasma. We counted bacterial colonies and identified the types of bacteria.

Results: Non-thermal plasma treatment significantly reduced bacterial counts in the air, the median reduced from 1 before treatment to zero afterwards (p = 0.03). PX-UV treatment also significantly reduced bacterial counts in the air (p = 0.01), the median reduced from 1.5 before treatment to zero afterwards. Pathogens identified in the current study include nosocomial bacteria, such as Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, and yeast.

Conclusion: Disinfection of blood sampling sites is essential in a health service department. The efficiency of PX-UV and non-thermal atmospheric plasma treatment are comparable in air disinfection.

Keywords: Hospital disinfection; Non-thermal atmospheric plasma; Nosocomial infection; Pulsed xenon ultraviolet; Sterilization.

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