On another note, I just saw for the first time (on our website) the "poster" that Dr. Zoutman presented at the recent conference in Vancouver. Here's a paragraph from his report on treating a ward in a Canadian hospital that had encountered a fatal outbreak of c. difficile:
"RESULTS
The baseline rate of C. difficile infection on the unit was 0.2/1,000 patient-days for the past year. In late November there were 4 cases clustered together with one death, for a rate of 4.0/1,000 patient-days.
Immediately after disinfecting the 4 affected C. difficile patient rooms with the O3+H2O2 ARDS (Aseptic Sure) in the first week of the outbreak there were no further cases.
The total time to disinfect the 4 C. difficile affected rooms with the ARDS was 3 h 40 min. This compared to 6 hours of cleaning staff work time for manual cleaning method.
Supply costs for the O3+H2O2 ARDS were $3, and $7 for the manual method."
One of the main objections that has been raised against AS was that it takes too long, and would disrupt hospital routines.
Turns out according to Zoutman that using AS is significantly faster, and cheaper too, compared to conventional cleaning. And this is all besides the fact that they have demonstrated that within a few days after a conventional cleaning, the remaining pathogens regenerate, and the room is just as contaminated as before.
The evidence is becoming more and more compelling. No wonder interest in Canada finally seems to be increasing.
