The importance of keeping hospitals and clinics clean of bacteria, viruses and other items that can affect the health of their patients and occupants is of paramount importance. To counteract this there are technologies that act effectively.
by Jorge Mario Vargas Pérez*
ASHRAE refers to the use of ultraviolet C-band (UVC) light in improving Indoor Air Quality.
There are, to date, no standards for its best use and implementation, what there are in large quantities are case studies that present successful results of all those who use UVC in disinfection and sterilization.
In this case we take as an example the use of ultra violet light systems in the disinfection of surfaces as well as the eradication of viruses, bacteria and mold in air conditioning and airborne equipment that dissipate through the air conditioning ducts.
There are several possible solutions, particularly at a time when globally we are being shaken by the Ebola virus. They are all based on the same ultra-violet light system of very high intensity.
In order to be sure that there is sufficient ultraviolet irradiation power on the coil face, a minimum of 750 μW must be able to be measured at the farthest point of the emitter. This minimal power, in the cold air, ensures the eradication of mold accumulated in the coil and the elimination of airborne viruses and bacteria.
The solutions available are multiple, including ambient air purification systems that have a complex system composed of several filtering stages complemented by a UVC emitter system.
This system has been adopted as a standard in several health entities. Mainly used for air purification in intensive care and medium therapy rooms, in recovery rooms, in neonatology rooms, in critical areas of high contagion, with a high level of efficiency.
Undoubtedly, the most critical area in a clinic or hospital are operating rooms, in particular all those who are dedicated to highly complex surgeries, such as an organ transplant, knee and hip replacements, open heart operations, among other interventions with enormous difficulty.
These operating rooms are beginning to be treated with special care, achieved with high-intensity ultra violet light systems for surface disinfection as a complement to traditional cleaning.
These systems allow to achieve with greater precision the high levels of cleaning, sterilization and disinfection established by standards implemented by the department of infectology and health, depending on the area in question, these levels of hygiene are controlled and corroborated by continuous sampling.
This methodology allows to achieve a saving in man hours in the cleaning of the rooms, an increase in availability of rooms and, with regard to the new rooms, an authorization of use is achieved in a faster way than using traditional methods of cleaning and highiene (up to half of the normal time).
This type of system has its use between operations, and in the same way it does it during the night, achieving positive results with only three hours of exposure.
This technology is making it possible to achieve a greater and safer use of operating rooms, with a wider rotation, lower maintenance costs and more efficient sterilization.
In conclusion we must at least accept that the step achieved by the use of UVC gives positive results in several areas, with examples that show a great reduction in nosocomial infections, as well as great savings in energy and operating costs and without forgetting the reduction in absenteeism from work of hospital or clinic staff.
Nor can partial pandemic prevention be set aside at this time when Ebola is besieging the world with an epidemic danger.
* You can contact the engineer Jorge Mario Vargas Pérez, from the company Clima Ideal, at the email [email protected] or contact the factory at the email [email protected]
