Pulsed xenon ultraviolet light (PX-UV) Device Emitting Germicidal UV for Clostridium Difficile Infection

The objective is to conduct a prospective, sham controlled, double-blinded, interventional crossover trial to compare standard terminal cleaning plus PX-UV (intervention) with standard terminal cleaning plus sham PX-UV (control) with crossover at 12 months, following a 6-month washout period. Outcome measures include the rates of HAIs, as well as the recurrence of genetically identical clinical strains of HAIs among patients on study units. The study will be conducted in 2 hospitals covering 16 total hospital units at Detroit Medical Center. Our central hypothesis is that the addition of PX-UV to standard terminal cleaning will be associated with a significant reduction in the rate of HAIs, as well as a reduction in the recovery of genetically identical strains of MDROs. The impact of PX-UV disinfection on rates of HAIs on study units will be determined by comparing rates of HAIs on a) study units where PX-UV is added to standard terminal cleaning practices to b) units where a sham UV disinfection system is added to standard terminal cleaning; and by comparing rates of HAIs on the same medical ward during each of two 12-month phases of a crossover study (one phase when a PX-UV device is added and one when a sham device is added to standard terminal cleaning). The long-term goal of this project is to establish the efficacy of terminal cleaning plus PX-UV in reducing rates of HAIs due to the following multi-drug resistant organisms (MDROs): C. difficile, vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE), Klebsiella pneumoniae and Escherichia coli producing extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBLs), methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Acinetobacter baumannii. At the conclusion of the proposed project, novel data will be generated from this rigorously controlled study regarding the effectiveness of PX-UV in reducing HAIs in a representative, real-world healthcare setting.