by Brianna Crandall — April 15, 2015—Sanford Medical Center in Fargo, North Dakota, has unveiled two specially remodeled infection control rooms for highly contagious patients that are coated with a paint created by North Dakota-based manufacturer Lumacept that reflects ultraviolet (UV) light from UV-C disinfection devices to boost disinfection efforts.
According to an article in The Dickinson Press, the Sanford Medical Centers in Fargo and Bismarck have been designated as North Dakota’s treatment centers for Ebola, which has not yet turned up in the state despite regular travel of residents to and from West Africa.
The Special Care Unit, in an out-of-the-way location in the hospital, comprises two patient rooms, an anteroom for nurses and other caregivers to doff their protective garments, a special laboratory, and a medical waste disposal room, according to the article.
The Special Care Unit (Lumacept project page) is equipped with Lumacept’s UV fixtures and UVC-Max coating on the walls and ceiling in order to rapidly disinfect the room. The adjacent anteroom also uses UV to help disinfect healthcare workers’ personal protective equipment (PPE) prior to doffing.
Lumacept says the diffuse reflective properties of UVC-Max paint helps to disperse the UV light and ensure indirectly illuminated areas of the room receive an adequate dose of UV when a UV-C disinfection device is used. Lumacept’s LumaSim technology was also used to help design the layout of the light fixtures in both the patient room and anteroom.
Using UV light as a disinfectant is a proven concept that is becoming more popular as a chemical-free way to fight germs in such facilities as hospitals, and particularly to combat bacteria that have become more resistant to traditional means of disinfection.
For related information, see also “Study: Ultraviolet cleaning reduces hospital superbugs by 20 percent” and “ATL, HFI share information on efficacy of UV-C room disinfection devices” on FMLink.
