ArticleInfection control and hospital epidemiology2024
Reduction of airborne and surface-borne bacteria in a medical center burn intensive care unit using active, upper-room, germicidal ultraviolet (GUV) disinfection.
Article in Infection control and hospital epidemiology, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed, 5 citations in OpenAlex.
- Endoscopy Unit Implementation of a Sealed In-Room Air Purifier with Ultraviolet Irradiation Reduces Bacterial and Airborne Particle Levels.Digestive diseases and sciences · 2026Article
- Differential impact of environmental factors on airborne live bacteria and inorganic particles in an underground walkway.PloS one · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveTo determine the effectiveness of active, upper-room, germicidal ultraviolet (GUV) devices in reducing bacterial contamination in patient rooms in air and on surfaces as a supplement to the central heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) air handling unit (AHU) with MERV 14 filters and UV-C disinfection.
methodsThis study was conducted in an academic medical center, burn intensive care unit (BICU), for 4 months in 2022. Room occupancy was monitored and recorded. In total, 402 preinstallation and postinstallation bacterial air and non-high-touch surface samples were obtained from 10 BICU patient rooms. Airborne particle counts were measured in the rooms, and bacterial air samples were obtained from the patient-room supply air vents and outdoor air, before and after the intervention. After preintervention samples were obtained, an active, upper-room, GUV air disinfection system was deployed in each of the patient rooms in the BICU.
resultsThe average levels of airborne bacteria of 395 CFU/m
conclusionsSignificant reductions in air and surface contamination occurred in all rooms and areas and were not associated with variations in outdoor air concentrations of bacteria. The significant decrease of surface bacteria is an unexpected benefit associated with in-room GUV air disinfection, which can potentially reduce overall bioburden.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.