UV-C effectiveness against HPV
HPV RESEARCH IN A CLINICAL USE TEST
The aim of this study was to determineif UV-C disinfection is efficient in routine clinical conditions, especially against HPV
The aim of this study was to determine if UV-C disinfection is efficient in routine clinical conditions, especially against HPV.1
The study also aimed to compare two protocols usually found in infection prevention practice of endocavity ultrasound probes. The simple protocol consisted of performing LLD with a chemically impregnated wipe on a probe used with a disposable cover. The more rigorous protocol consisted of performing HLD on a visibly clean probe.
The three-step study evaluated ultraviolet-C (UV-C) efficacy against human papillomavirus (HPV) found on vaginal ultrasound probes.
The first two steps evaluated UV-C disinfection of vaginal ultrasound probes.
1st Phase: The probe (n = 100) was sampled after a complete cleaning and disinfection protocol, i.e., cleaning with chemically impregnated wipes, followed by UV-C.
2nd Phase: The probe (n = 47) was sampled after cleaning and UV-C.
3rd Phase: The final step consisted of applying HPV positive clinical samples on a covered probe (n = 15) then sampling the cover, the probe after removal of the cover, after cleaning, and after UV-C.
Overview
The study took place in a high-turnover gynaecological practice (12,000 emergency consultations with 8,000 vaginal ultrasound examinations annually) in a specialized university hospital.
It was the first to evaluate UV-C disinfection efficacy against HPV in real conditions when the UV-C system is run within a short time cycle (90 seconds).
The results of this study indicated that UV-C can be used to ensure patient safety during ultrasound examinations
The second and third parts confirmed that the LLD procedure alone is unsafe but when using a HLD method such as UV-C that can reliably inactivate HPV. This method is strongly recommended to ensure patient safety.
The benefit of using the UV-C system, as this system is easy to use, effective, safe to the user, and faster than other decontamination systems.
The study highlighted the need for standardised solutions that include HPV
Conclusion
UV-C has been confirmed as a relevant and easily adaptable solution to the healthcare environment.1
Reference:
1. Maxime Pichon, Karine Lebail-Carval, Geneviève Billaud, Bruno Lina, Pascal Gaucherand and Yahia Mekki (2019) Decontamination of Intravaginal Probes Infected by Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Using UV-C Decontamination System. J. Clin. Med, 8, 1776; doi:10.3390/jcm8111776.