Ultraviolet in-room air disinfection and recirculation greatly reduces viable airborne particle concentrations in the operating room setting

Objective. To evaluate the effectiveness of a novel in-room air disinfection technology through the use of real-time viable airborne particulate counting. Methods. Using laser particle fluorescence techniques in real time, airborne viable particle concentrations were obtained before and after air treatment with the in-room C-UVC device in an active hospital operating room setting. Results. A large number of viable airborne particles were found in the active positive-pressure operating room setting, with an average of 18628 viable particles per cubic meter in the 1.0-10.0 um diameter range. Thirty minutes after activation of the C-UVC device, the number was reduced to 914 viable particles per cubic meter in the same size range. Reductions were consistent across the particle sizes. Conclusion. The C-UVC device, when employed as an in-room recirculation unit, provides significant reduction in airborne viable particle levels in a hospital environmental setting. The use of laser fluorescence-based techniques to track airborne viable particulate counts is a valuable tool for the rapid assessment of airborne bioload and the evaluation of air germicidal technologies.