from the HPA website
The review of products by the Rapid Review Panel (the Panel) is undertaken with the specific intent of assessing potential to reduce healthcare associated infections. The views expressed have no intentional bearing on other applications of the product. Information on many products is submitted to the Panel, where the product was specifically designed for, and/or used in, a different setting. Comments from the Panel are not intended for these applications, and should not be interpreted as such.
Further, unless specifically stated, Panel comments do not imply that the product does not meet its primary claims e.g. of sterilising a particular surface or fabric, even if the view of the Panel is that this has no obvious advantage over existing products or will have minimum impact on reducing or preventing healthcare associated infections.
Recommendations:
1.Basic research and development, validation and recent in use evaluations have shown benefits that should be available to NHS bodies to include as appropriate in their cleaning, hygiene or infection control protocols.
2.Basic research and development has been completed and the product may have potential value; in use evaluations/trials are now needed in an NHS clinical setting.
3.A potentially useful new concept but insufficiently validated; more research and development is required before it is ready for evaluation in practice.
4.Unlikely to be of benefit OR not a significant improvement on equipment/materials/products already available which may contribute to reducing health care associated infection; no further consideration needed.
5.Insufficient clarity/evidence presented to enable full review of the product.
6.An already well established product that does not merit further consideration by the Panel.
The product is not sufficiently related to infection control procedures to merit consideration by the Panel.
Air decontamination
There is little evidence to show that air plays a significant role in the transmission of most healthcare-associated infections. In those cases where airborne transmission is thought to be important, both dilution of pathogens in the air and controlling airflow into, or out of, a room are mechanisms for reducing risk. This can be important for protection of highly vulnerable patients (airborne protective isolation) or protection of staff and visitors inside an isolation room, or other patients, staff and visitors outside an isolation room (airborne source isolation). Ventilation systems can be set-up to control directions of airflow and dilution of airborne pathogens. Such dedicated systems can be expensive. There also exist portable systems that recirculate air within a given space. By means of filtration, ultraviolet light or other methods of killing or trapping micro-organisms, they can reduce airborne levels of pathogens but cannot, by these means alone, control airflow into or out of a room. The quality assurance that a system continues to work as intended is vital for any air decontamination regime.
Reports are available for the following products. Please click on a product to view the report.
Air decontamination products Recommendation
Airfree 3
Air Science IQ Portable Air Purification Unit 2
Biozone Scientific products - air sanitiser 5
Fresh Air UV Air Filter 4
GB Environmental Limited Ultra Violet Air Disinfection Unit 4
Growtech Limited Stinger UV Light Emitter 4
Hydroxyl Radical Device 3
Igrox Limited - Medixair 4
It's all about clean air Electromedia model 35F 2
Kostech Ltd Kostech 2K medical filter 3
PhotocatWorks Ltd LightClean antibacterial
coating and air disinfector system 3
Quest International AirManager 6
Steritrox 600 3
Steritrox Plasmalyser 4
Surrey Diagnostics - airocide 3
http://www.hpa.org.uk/infections/topics_az/rapid_review/reports.htm