Faxton St. Luke’s Healthcare Reduces Infection Rates

Faxton-St. Luke's Healthcare is presenting the data from its one-year study on the effectiveness of its Surfacide Helios Triple Emitter UV-C disinfection system.

The study shows the Surfacide system has help reduce hospital onset Clostridium Difficicle (C diff) infection rates by 39-percent.

C diff is a bacteria that can cause intestinal infections.

The Surfacide system uses ultraviolet light to disinfect patient rooms.

“Multi-drug-resistant organisms like C.diff have long been a formidable foe in healthcare environments,” noted Heather Bernard, Director of Infection Prevention at Mohawk Valley Health System (MVHS).  “The thirty-nine percent reduction in C.diff infection rates is very significant and suggests that Surfacide’s technology holds promise for ensuring that patient care areas are as microbe-free as possible.

In keeping patient areas bacteria free, the hospital saved nearly $1.4 million by decreasing the number of C diff cases and the cost to treat them.