Surfacide being used in Phoebe Putney Health System hospitals

ALBANY — Disinfection is being done differently these days at Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital.

As part of an effort to further enhance its infection prevention efforts, Phoebe Putney Health System has purchased a technology called Surfacide, a system using an UV-C ultraviolet light to kill multi-drug resistant organisms, including MRSA (methicillinresistant Staphylococcus aureus) and C-diff (Clostridium difficile).

Surfacide founder and CEO Gunner Lyslo was in Albany recently for a meeting with Phoebe leaders and operations teams. There are two units in operation at Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital, and one at Phoebe Sumter Medical Center, with the intention of eventually bringing it to other hospitals within the system.

“(It emits) 254 nanometers of energy in the patient space … The more energy that is delivered, the more effective it is in eliminating the bugs,” said Lyslo.

The units have been in use for just over a month, Phoebe officials say.

“The response has been great,” said Rodney Gause, director of environmental services for Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital. “The staff sees the benefit, and when people see it, they are curious. When (they learn what it’s for), they are into it.”

Healthcare-associated infections like C-diff are passed to people while they are receiving treatments for other conditions. They can occur in all settings of health care, including hospitals, rehabilitation facilities, surgical centers and skilled nursing facilities where the necessary use of antibiotic cleaning methods help create resistant strains of infection.

The UV-C rays are different from the UV-A or UV-B rays associated with sunlight.

“It is a different wavelength of energy,” Lyslo said.

The killing mechanism of UV-C energy is designed to disrupt cellular DNA, and when enough energy is delivered, the organism is rendered inactive and unable to replicate. A patient room will be cleaned after discharge, after which the units will be brought in to emit the energy needed to kill the superbugs.

The Surfacide machine, consisting of three towers, can be wheeled in on trolley and set up strategically throughout the room. Once everyone leaves the room, the towers slowly spin and emit microorganism-killing UV-C rays. The system links to a tablet and uses laser mapping technology allowing users to see that all surfaces have been effectively treated.

All that is supposed to remain is a clean odor — caused by extremely low levels of ozone and microscopic organic matter in the air, such as dust — which often dissipates within 15 minutes depending on the air exchange in the room.

The process takes roughly 20 minutes. If someone walks into the room while it is being treated, there is a motion detection sensor that can stop operation if it is used properly. It does not penetrate glass, wood or walls, but could potentially harm cottons or colored textiles not made of hospital grade material over time.

The Surfacide machines have been purchased, at a price tag of $40,000-$50,000 per unit, to be used primarily in areas where the chance of infection is higher — including intensive care areas, Phoebe officials say.

“We are targeting isolation rooms, ICUs and ORs, those kinds of rooms,” Gause said.

The cost, Gause said, pays for itself after a weekend of reducing hospital acquired infections.

“(We should see) a major reduction if not total elimination of the bugs we are dealing with,” he said. “(The goal is) a much safer environment and an infection free environment.”

Phoebe officials said about 5 percent of patients are getting hospital acquired infections, resulting in an average length of stay of 17.6 days. On an annual basis, just under 99,000 people in the United States are dying from these infections.

“We want to end this part of the patient experience … Phoebe is the first in Southwest Georgia to implement this. It is in some major institutions in the United States. This is a major step to take the bull by the horns,” Lyslo said.