18 Oct 2023 | Alicia R. Urrutia,Stanislaw P. Stawicki,Charles N. Kimble & Kathryn C. Worrilow
Taylor & Francis Online
Abstract
Many facility acquired infection (FAI) causing pathogens are airborne and controlling them is critical to preventing illness. An advanced air purification technology (AAPT) was designed to inactivate the genetic material of pathogens and remediate volatile organic compounds (VOCs). This study explores the effect of the AAPT on critical metrics in multiple healthcare settings. The AAPT was installed in the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) ductwork of a hospital’s medical surgical floor (ACH-MSF), a second hospital’s post-anesthesia care unit (PACU), intensive care unit (ICU), and medical surgical (MS) unit, and in a senior living facility’s (SLF) memory support unit. In all installations, the control area(s) were protected only by high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filtration. The measured airborne fungal levels, airborne and surface bacterial levels, and VOC levels decreased with the installation of AAPT. The AAPT removed infectious airborne pathogens and reduced surface pathogens and VOCs. The ACH-MSF and SLF protected by the AAPT documented improved clinical and economic metrics including a 39.5% decrease in patient length of stay, 23% in cost savings improvement, and a 39.6% decrease in FAIs. The current findings support the hypothesis that indoor environmental quality impacts wellness and has potential applications in diverse indoor environments.