HospitalsMarch 24, 2022

Top Takeaways from CDI White Paper Featuring the Halo Disinfection System^®

by Halosil

Click here to read the full white paper.

Combating the spread of Clostridioides difficile infections (CDIs) in hospital settings is challenging for infection preventionists, environmental services specialists, and other healthcare personnel. As CDI is the most common hospital-acquired infection (HAI)—and labeled an ‘Urgent Threat’ by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention—healthcare teams must be prepared for its potential spread by ensuring their disinfection processes and procedures are up to the task.

Recently, Christopher L. Truitt, Ph.D., and his colleagues conducted a retrospective analysis of CDI rates at Pennsylvania Hospital in Philadelphia, a Penn Medicine acute care facility that utilized an aerosolized hydrogen peroxide (aHP) disinfection system over a 10-year period. Dr. Truitt is a professor of biochemistry and microbiology at Wayland Baptist University, and the lead author of the study, which was published in the American Journal of Infection Control.

The paper is titled “Evaluation of an Aerosolized Hydrogen Peroxide Disinfection System for the Reduction of Clostridioides difficile Hospital Infection Rates Over a 10 Year Period” and features Halosil’s Halo Disinfection System^® as its subject. It reports on the study that retrospectively examines the implementation of Halosil’s hydrogen peroxide and silver based no-touch decontamination system for reduction of CDI rates over a 10-year period at Pennsylvania Hospital.

In this blog post we will explore the top takeaways from this informative white paper.

Takeaway 1: CDIs are Very Common—and Dangerous—in Hospitals

The direct threat that HAIs pose to patients, providers and personnel is formidable and must be taken seriously. However, even more serious is the threat of HAIs’ growing resistance to antibiotics, which has the potential to devastate the efficacy of antibiotics and compromise life-saving medical treatments.

CDIs cause significant morbidity and mortality in healthcare facilities worldwide. According to the CDC and The Joint Commission, C. difficile is responsible for 223,000 HAIs, resulting in more than 12,000 deaths and $6.3 billion in costs in the United States. There is a pressing need for these infections to be mitigated and controlled in order to prevent their spread.

Takeaway 2: Proper Disinfection is Critical in a Healthcare Environment

Proper disinfection is essential in healthcare environments, as it’s crucial to protect the health and safety of patients, staff, and visitors. But not every disinfection system is truly effective, and some have serious drawbacks.

For example, spray and wipe disinfection methods are commonly used, but they’re prone to missed spots. Electrostatic sprayers, meanwhile, produce inhalable aerosols, have a wet application that can damage electronics, and seldom reach all the cracks and crevices in a room. UV lights can be costly, can cause damage to plastics and other materials over time, and efficacy is impacted by the distance surfaces are from the light. Finally, air purifiers can emit ozone gas as a byproduct, and some may be susceptible to mold and bacteria inside their filters. Dry fog, however, is one of the most effective disinfection solutions and is generated by specialized equipment that disperses a solution of micro-droplets into the air, creating hydrogen peroxide vapor that covers every inch of a room. True dry fog fills spaces beyond the reach of sprays, wipes, purifiers, or UV lights—ensuring all surfaces in healthcare environments are thoroughly disinfected.

Takeaway 3: The Addition of Whole Room Disinfection Results in a Reduction of CDI Rates

The study looked at the effects of disinfection on C. diff rates by comparing the implementation of the aHP (dry fog) system and the rates of healthcare-associated CDI before and after hydrogen peroxide utilization. The first 5-year period investigated the before and after implementation of an aHP system followed by another 5-year period of continued use on CDI rates. The study period before usage of aHP was 27 months (July 2009 to September 2011), and the implementation period was 33 months (April 2012 to December 2014). They also examined the effects of continued aHP usage from January 2015 through December 2019.

The addition of the touchless aHP whole room disinfection system—the Halosil Disinfection System—as part of terminal cleaning resulted in a significant reduction in CDI rates that have been sustained year after year. The team reported a 41% reduction in HA-CDI rates associated with aHP implementation. The before and after period showed a reduction in CDI rates from 4.6 per 10,000 patient days down to 2.7 per 10,000 patient days after implementation (P < .001). The second study period for the continued aHP use exhibited a consistent decrease in CDI rates to 1.4 per 10,000 patient days at the end of the study. The team reported a 74% reduction in HO-CDI from 2015-2019 with continued use of whole room aHP-silver disinfection. 

Ensure Disinfection Against Pathogens like C. diff with the Right System

Implementing the Halo Disinfection System at Pennsylvania Hospital helped the facility significantly reduce C. diff rates over the 10-year period. By leveraging HaloMist^™, Halosil’s proprietary, EPA-registered formula (EPA Reg. No. 84526-6) with the HaloFogger^®, the Halo Disinfection System truly empowers infection prevention teams to achieve a proven, 6-log kill rate in the diverse spaces and places found in hospitals. Halosil pairs this superior efficacy with cost effectiveness and ease of use, delivering the most comprehensive value in hospital room disinfection.

Click here to read the full white paper in AJIC.