Is UV-C light disinfection suitable as a disinfection method for medical devices: a scoping review

Abstract

Background: Failure to disinfect medical devices properly could lead to hospital-acquired infections. No-touch disinfection with ultraviolet light group C (UV-C) is increasingly used to decontaminate medical devices. Aim: This scoping review aimed to describe the bacterial reduction on contaminated semicritical medical devices after UV-C light disinfection. Methods: In December 2023, PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and CINAHL were searched for articles reporting on bacterial reduction after UV-C light disinfection on semicritical medical devices. Characteristics of semicritical devices and disinfection methods were described. Findings: Our search found 582 articles. Eight met the inclusion criteria. Seven medical devices were identified: endoscopes without a working channel, trans-thoracic, abdominopelvic, and duplex ultrasound probes, and rectal and/or vaginal ultrasound probes. Four UV-C light disinfectors were identified. All studies reported a positive effect on bacterial reduction after UV-C light disinfection. Conclusions: The bacterial reduction obtained with UV-C light disinfection was not inferior compared to other disinfection methods that are currently being used. Therefore, this indicates that UV-C light disinfection could be used as a disinfection method for semicritical medical devices to reduce microbiological contamination safely. Future research must identify which UV-C light disinfector can be used safely for which medical devices as an alternative to existing disinfection methods.