Mario Melgar 1, Marilyn Ramirez 2, Alicia Chang 3, Federico Antillon 4
Abstract
Background:
This study aims to describe the effect of Dry Hydrogen Peroxide (DHP), as an adjunct to environmental cleaning and disinfection, on the incidence of hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) at Unidad Nacional de Oncologia Pediatrica (UNOP) in Guatemala City, Guatemala.
Methods:
A retrospective study of all HAI data from the hospital's surveillance system, which follows Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) protocols, was conducted from January 2019 to November 2020. Dry Hydrogen Peroxide (DHP) was installed in all Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) rooms in January 2020, but nowhere else in the hospital, including the Intermediate Care Unit (IMCU).
Results:
There were 189 HAI cases during the study period, with 173 occurring in either the PICU or IMCU. A statistically significant decrease in HAI incidence rates occurred in the PICU in 2020 compared to 2019 (P = .028), including Clostridiodes-associated gastroenteritis (P = .048). Logistic multivariate regression yielded a significant association between Dry Hydrogen Peroxide (DHP) exposure and reduced odds of developing an HAI during the study (OR = 0.3857, P = .029).
Conclusion:
The use of Dry Hydrogen Peroxide (DHP) as an adjunct technology for environmental cleaning and disinfection contributed to the reduction in HAIs in the PICU. Our study highlights the value of such an approach as an addition to manual cleaning to decrease the risk of infection from environmental contamination.
American Journal of Infection Control (Public Study)
American Journal of Infection Control (Public Study)
