Kenall Manufacturing has just introduced “Indigo-Clean”—a light fixture that uses environmental disinfection technology to inactivate dangerous bacteria linked to hospital acquired infections (HAI’s), including C.difficile, Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus (VRE).
The high-intensity narrow spectrum light has an output of 405 nanometers (nm) on the light spectrum. The light is absorbed by molecules within bacteria, which produces a chemical reaction to kill the bacteria cells. The self-operating light is visible—so it’s lethal on microorganisms but safe to use around hospital staff and patients.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that one in 25 hospital patients in the U.S. have contracted at least one infection from a healthcare setting. HAI’s have reportedly caused over 1.7 million illnesses—99,000 of those illnesses resulted in death in acute care hospitals.
Each year, the U.S. dishes out $35.0-$45.0 billion in extra health care costs due to HAI’s.
Not only can fighting an HAI easily add thousands of dollars to the cost of treating patients, they can lead to financial penalties for hospitals themselves. If a hospital scores poorly in the Hospital-Acquired Condition (HAC) program, they’ll get lower Medicare reimbursements.
Indigo-Clean has been in use since 2008 at the Glasgow Royal Infirmary hospital and the light’s technology has been studied by more than 20 peer-reviewed academic journals.
Source for Today’s Article:
“First hospital light fixture to kill bacteria safely, continuously is commercialised,” Eureka Alert web site, June 26, 2015, http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2015-06/uos-fhl062615.php.