Testing Location

Study conducted at University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust.

Introduction

The burden of nosocomial COVID-19 and other respiratory viral illnesses has had a negative impact on hospital activity and resulted in poor outcomes, particularly for elderly patients. This has prompted an increased interest in indoor air quality and how this can be managed better in hospitals to reduce airborne transmission of respiratory viruses and other pathogens. The use of portable air cleaning units (ACU) has been shown to reduce airborne microbial load and to have the potential to reduce healthcare associated infections in healthcare settings.

The aim of this study was to measure the ability of a portable (Protect 800/900) ACU to reduce the microbial load in the air within a busy hospital laboratory.

Product Description

The Protect 800 is a medical-grade, airborne pathogen cleaner that inactivates aerosolized viruses, bacteria, fungi, and spores within the breathing zone. Easy to use flexible in positioning, and quiet in operation, the portable device provides the safest and most cost-effective airborne pathogen protection in a continuous manner to people in small-to-medium sized rooms or within the occupied spaces of larger rooms.

Conclusion

The key findings from this study were as follows:

• The Novaerus NV800/900 effectively reduced the microbial bioburden, particularly within a bustling laboratory environment.
• Statistically significant reductions in total viable counts (TVCs) were observed when the ACU was activated compared to when it was turned off during the control and intervention test phases.
• The results suggest that the Novaerus NV800/900 holds promising potential for mitigating the airborne bioburden in various healthcare settings.