Research

The Effects of Air Purification Technology on Clinical and Economic Outcomes

A conference presentation delivered at the Keystone Chapter of the American College of Surgeons Annual Meeting, 2019, examining the effects of LifeAire’s advanced air purification technology on clinical and economic outcomes in an acute care hospital setting. The presentation represents early findings from the St. Luke’s University Health Network research program that culminated in the full 12-month retrospective cohort study of 8,255 patients published in the journal Surgery in September 2020, documenting a 39.5% reduction in patient length of stay, trending reduction in HAIs, and 23% improvement in per-bed economics. Presented at the Keystone Chapter, American College of Surgeons Annual Meeting, 2019.

Research

Comprehensive and live air purification as a key environmental, clinical, and patient safety factor: A prospective evaluation

A peer-reviewed book chapter published in Vignettes in Patient Safety, Volume 4, edited by Stanislaw P. Stawicki and Michael S. Firstenberg (IntechOpen, March 2019). The chapter presents the first comprehensive prospective evaluation of infectious and aerosolized pathogens — including their speciation, location, and concentration — within a typical hospital setting, and examines the relationship between airborne pathogens and air filtration methodologies in the context of the molecular and microbial epidemiology of illness and infection in clinical environments. The study represents foundational environmental evidence from St. Luke’s University Health Network that preceded the full retrospective cohort study published in Surgery in 2020. Published in IntechOpen, March 2019. DOI: 10.5772/intechopen.84530. Authors: Stawicki, S.P.; Brisendine, C.; Levicoff, L.; Ford, F.; Snyder, B.; Eid, S.; Worrilow, K.C.