Influence of pulsed-xenon ultraviolet light-based environmental disinfection on surgical site infections.

This study evaluates the influence of nightly pulsed-xenon ultraviolet light disinfection and dedicated housekeeping staff on surgical site infection (SSI) rates. SSIs in class I procedures were reduced by 46% (P = .0496), with a potential cost savings of $478,055. SSIs in class II procedures increased by 22.9%, but this was not significant (P = .6973). Based on these results, it appears that the intervention reduces SSI rates in clean (class I), but not clean-contaminated (class II) procedures.