There has been an awful lot of discussion out in the field about various hydrogen peroxide systems used for “no-touch” automated room disinfection. Comparison of different systems through assessment of individual studies is tricky because different methods are used to assess the effectiveness of the products. Thus, the only way to get an accurate comparison of different technologies is through head-to-head comparisons.

A recently published study compared a hydrogen peroixde vapour (HPV) system (Bioquell) with an aerosolised hydrogen peroxide (aHP) system (ASP Glosair). The independent study was performed by researchers at St. Georges’ Hospital Testing was performed in a 50m³ room with a 13m³ anteroom, representing a single occupancy room with bathroom. For both systems it was found that rooms must be sealed to prevent leakage and room re-entry must be led by a hand held sensor to ensure safety. HPV generally achieved a 6-log reduction of spore BIs and in-house prepared test discs inoculated with MRSA, Clostridium difficile and Acineotbacter baumannii, whereas aHP generally achieved a 4-log reduction or less. The aHP system had reduced efficacy against the catalase-positive A. baumannii with a <2-log reductions in the majority of room locations. HPV was able to penetrate soiling more effectively than aHP and uneven distribution of the active agent within the enclosure was evident for aHP but not for HPV.

It is difficult to produce a laboratory challenge that is truly representative of field conditions, but the authors did a thorough job and used several different ways to measure the efficacy of the products, concluding that ‘the HPV system was safer to operate, slightly faster and achieved a greater level of biological inactivation than the aHP system.’

Article citation: Fu TY, Gent P, Kumar V. Efficacy, efficiency and safety aspects of hydrogen peroixde vapour and aerosolized hydrogen peroixde room disinfection systems. J Hosp Infect 2012; 80: 199-205.