Effect of DHPยฎ Technology on ๐๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ๐ช๐ฅ๐ข ๐ข๐ถ๐ณ๐ช๐ด Environmental Contamination
Published September 2023 in the Antimicrobial Stewardship & Healthcare Epidemiology
Description: DHPยฎ technology was installed in 2 units, the Adult Burn Intensive Care Unit and the Childrenโs Cardiac Intensive Care Unit, within a 762-bed acute care hospital in Las Vegas, NV, both of which housed patients known to be colonized or infected with Candida auris (C. auris). A total of 5 baseline samples for C. auris polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing were collected from a variety of surfaces within the patient and healthcare worker areas of each unit, including patient room surfaces, staff work areas, shared medical equipment, and dedicated staff equipment. Additional samples were collected from the same surfaces on Days 7, 14, and 28 after DHPยฎ was deployed. Samples from similar surfaces were collected on the same dates from a โcontrolโ unit housing patients known to be colonized or infected with C. auris that did not have DHPยฎ. The association between DHPยฎ exposure and C. auris contamination was evaluated.
Key Takeaways:
- The use of DHPยฎ was associated with a statistically significant reduction in C. auris surface contamination within rooms occupied by patients colonized with C. auris.
- Before DHPยฎ installation, 70% of tested surfaces were positive for C. auris, while after DHPยฎ installation, only 16.7% remained positive (p<0.05).
- In the control unit, 40% of tested surfaces were positive for C. auris at baseline, while 27% remained positive during the subsequent testing dates (p=0.66).
- In the DHPยฎ units, the only 2 surfaces testing positive for C. auris by Day 28 were those most frequently touched by patients (i.e., โhigh-touchโ surfaces), indicating that they may have been recently re-contaminated by contact from an infected or colonized patient.
- There were no adverse impacts reported by any patients, visitors, or staff in association with the operation of DHPยฎ throughout the study period.
