Vioguard ultraviolet keyboard proven to eradicate Ebola, flu and C. diff

NEWS RELEASE

Portland, Oregon – Last week, researchers from Case Western Reserve University and Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center presented a poster that examined the efficacy of the FDA-cleared Defender™, a self-sanitizing ultraviolet (UV-C) keyboard at The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA) conference.

The device is automatic and addresses a commonly forgotten source of disease transfer—the keyboard. The UV-C device provides automatic denomination of shared keyboards. After each use, the keyboard automatically retreats into a fully-enclosed console.

During the poster presentation at SHEA, one EPI doctor commented “I cannot recommend any UV-C devices with the exception of the Defender™.”

Other onlookers agreed the device should be used in every workstation on wheels all shared workstations in hospitals.

The evaluation also concluded that the “automated decontamination of keyboards could reduce dissemination of viruses and bacteria in healthcare settings.”

The study tested the efficacy of the Defender™ and resulting reduction in pathogens transferred to other objects, resulting in a zero-transfer risk. The objects used included a stapler, a telephone and a patient chart.

The device was tested against the Ebola, flu strains and C. diff. The first step in the testing process was contaminating the keyboards with the pathogens. Test subjects touched either the control or the UV-treated keyboards and then touched the three objects listed above. The keyboard and the items were then sampled for the pathogens.

The result was that “Vioguard significantly reduced the transmission to subsequently touched items,” according to the poster. Defender™ proved effective against all three pathogens.

The study and poster were completed independently from Vioguard, with Vioguard maintaining no role in the study design or interpretation of the results.

Many nurses who listened to the poster presentation admitted they had no idea when the last time the keyboards in their hospitals were cleaned. One NICU/IP nurse said “The automatic sanitizing feature ensures zero transfer without impacting workflow.”

Numerous studies document pathogen transfer from keyboards to clinicians and surfaces within hospitals. Correct PPE protocol, hand hygiene and regular cleaning of keyboards does help reduce disease transfer onto the surface of the keyboards, but they do not eliminate those risks.

During the study, researchers concluded an enclosed UV-C device (Defender™) provided effective, automated and safe decontamination of keyboards and achieves a zero-transfer risk.

Vioguard offers multiple, intuitive solutions that are affordable, innovative and automatic, by eliminating common sources of cross-contamination in healthcare environments.

Researchers: Heba Alhmidi, MD (Research Service, Louis Stokes Cleveland Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Cleveland, Ohio); Aaron A. Shaikh, MSW (Geriatric Research, Education and Clinical Center, Cleveland VA Medical Center, Cleveland, Ohio); Jennifer L. Cadnum, BS (Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio);  Curtis J. Donskey, MD (Geriatric Research, Education and Clinical Center, Cleveland VA Medical Center, Cleveland, Ohio & Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio).