FOTOGLASS has carried out a pilot project at the Mompía Clinic together with the manufacturer Sewertronics.
Ultraviolet light directly attacks the DNA / RNA of the pathogen, preventing its replication and eliminating its ability to cause infections.
The leading Spanish company in biomedical optics, FOTOGLASS, has carried out a UVC pilot project at the Mompía Clinic, of the AXA SEGUROS group. The bio-optical project, based on the implantation of an ultraviolet C (UVC) disinfection system in the healthcare field, has been tested in situ by active means, that is, directly on biological material. In this way, it has been possible to precisely determine the germicidal effect of the different devices that have participated in the project and thus validate their operation at the Mompía facilities. The areas selected for UVC disinfection have been the operating rooms, the intervention room and the dilatation rooms.
t is the first UVC system implemented in Cantabria, in which the equipment manufacturer Sewertronics has participated with its Speedycare models. It is one more bet of the Mompía Clinic where one of its highest values is innovation in hospital security, making the center a safe space, after recently obtaining the Global Safe Site certification. Global Safe Site certification.
Ultraviolet light directly attacks the DNA / RNA of the pathogen, preventing its replication, and eliminating its infective capacity. “This is how it becomes the best germicidal agent to destroy viruses or bacteria since no pathogen is resistant to ultraviolet light. Being a broad spectrum technique, in which the type of pathogen in question does not matter, is where the enormous potential of ultraviolet light resides to prevent the spread of infections, something that happens in pandemics”, acknowledges José Luis Fernández Luna, Genetics Coordinator of he Marqués de Valdecilla University Hospital (HUMV) and scientific advisor to the Biomedical Division of FOTOGLASS.
t is the first UVC system implemented in Cantabria, in which the equipment manufacturer Sewertronics has participated with its Speedycare models. It is one more bet of the Mompía Clinic where one of its highest values is innovation in hospital security, making the center a safe space, after recently obtaining the Global Safe Site certification. Global Safe Site certification.
Ultraviolet light directly attacks the DNA / RNA of the pathogen, preventing its replication, and eliminating its infective capacity. “This is how it becomes the best germicidal agent to destroy viruses or bacteria since no pathogen is resistant to ultraviolet light. Being a broad spectrum technique, in which the type of pathogen in question does not matter, is where the enormous potential of ultraviolet light resides to prevent the spread of infections, something that happens in pandemics”, acknowledges José Luis Fernández Luna, Genetics Coordinator of he Marqués de Valdecilla University Hospital (HUMV) and scientific advisor to the Biomedical Division of FOTOGLASS.
The bio-optical project developed by FOTOGLASS involves a radiometric study based on virtual reality that simulates on a computer the real conditions of a certain space to be decontaminated."The virtual simulation of the radiometric problem makes it possible to predict" in-situ "the doses necessary to achieve the desired germicidal effect with a given UVC system, saving the, reproduction of the most costly real situations in time and moneyThis also serves to guide the biological study and, therefore, to the manufacturers of this type of device”, says Fernando Moreno, Professor of Optics at the UC and one of those responsible for this study. In the project, a study of microbial contamination has been carried out that has made it possible to identify the so-called hot spotswhich are of special attention in the subsequent radiometric analysis since they are where the irradiation levels must be guaranteed during the established exposure time. At these points, the risk of disease transmission increases as they are high-frequency contact surfaces.
For the implementation and verification of the disinfection system, biodosimeters designed by FOTOGLASS are used, with which to accurately know the germicidal effect of the solution. These devices house non-pathogenic biological material that responds to UVC, like pathogens, but maintain the degree of biosafety necessary to work in open spaces.The assessment of the degree of reduction or elimination of microbiological contamination in biodosimeters is carried out thanks to the use of a computer program, capable of quantifying bacterial growth and, therefore, the degree of disinfection achieved (logarithmic reduction).
In this regard, Dr. Jesús Mozota, Director of Preventive Medicine at the Mompía Clinic, has assured that “since the pandemic began, our main concern has been to work on the prevention mechanisms against Covid-19 and we have tested the disinfection system of ultraviolet C light in the R&D line of work that we develop in this clinic and the truth is that it is a very good disinfection method for both Covid-19 and multi-resistant microorganisms”.
For the implementation and verification of the disinfection system, biodosimeters designed by FOTOGLASS are used, with which to accurately know the germicidal effect of the solution. These devices house non-pathogenic biological material that responds to UVC, like pathogens, but maintain the degree of biosafety necessary to work in open spaces.The assessment of the degree of reduction or elimination of microbiological contamination in biodosimeters is carried out thanks to the use of a computer program, capable of quantifying bacterial growth and, therefore, the degree of disinfection achieved (logarithmic reduction).
In this regard, Dr. Jesús Mozota, Director of Preventive Medicine at the Mompía Clinic, has assured that “since the pandemic began, our main concern has been to work on the prevention mechanisms against Covid-19 and we have tested the disinfection system of ultraviolet C light in the R&D line of work that we develop in this clinic and the truth is that it is a very good disinfection method for both Covid-19 and multi-resistant microorganisms”.
The project carried out by FOTOGLASS includes aspects such as the disinfection times required to achieve the necessary doses and the suitability of each device according to the spaces to be disinfected, as well as the optimization of the degree of disinfection, its cost and maintenance, and the safety of people and the installations. "With this system, important improvements are achieved in disinfection times, fundamental in areas such as operating rooms and UCIS," as well as a decrease in disinfection application and maintenance costs, "says UC professor Francisco González.