Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP), the second most common hospital-acquired infection among pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) patients, is responsible for an increased length of stay and an attributable healthcare cost estimated at over $57,000. VAP has also been associated with the emergence of antibiotic-resistant microorganisms.
A newly published peer-reviewed abstract documents the effectiveness of Steril-Aire UVC Emitters in reducing VAP in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).
The study was performed at the Buffalo Department of Pediatrics, Neonatology, Women and Children’s Hospital of Buffalo (NY) over 2.5 years. The microorganisms found in the HVAC system included Pseudomonas, Klebsiella, Serratia, Acinetobacter, Staphylococcus aureus and Coagulase-negative Staphlococcusspecies.
Study Conclusions: The study determined that UVC Emitters decreased HVAC microbial colonisation with significant reductions in VAP due to a decrease in NICU environmental pathogens and tracheal colonisation. The study finding also included a decrease in antibiotic use in NICU high-risk patients. In addition, the study showed a greater than 5 Log (that’s 99.999%) microbial load reduction per square centimeter of HVAC coil in just 6 days!
With the NICU implementation of Steril-Aire UVC, the Women and Children’s Hospital of Buffalo has realized an $850,000/year reduction in clinical costs. And, considering the fact that VAP has a mortality estimated to be as high as 27.1%, the Steril-Aire solution is literally … priceless.
Contact us directly to discuss your requirements and we can walk you through Steril-Aire UVC Emitters and the most suitable solutions for VP.
Be sure to visit our HVAC Surface and Airstream product page for more in-depth technical specificaitons.
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