{"title":"Effectiveness of Heating Hospital Sink Drainpipes for Reducing Bacterial Colonisation.","authors":"Satoshi Kakiuchi, Takeshi Tanaka, Junya Kawaguchi, Yoshitomo Honda, Yoshikazu Harada, Ayumi Fujita, Masato Tashiro, Tsuneki Kusaba, Koichi Izumikawa","doi":"10.1016/j.jhin.2025.05.008","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Hospital sink drains act as reservoirs for nosocomial infection-causing bacteria. Drainpipe thermal disinfection unit (DTDU) inhibit or reduce bacterial colonisation by elevating drainpipes temperature. However, their effectiveness remains to be comprehensively evaluated.</p><p><strong>Aim: </strong>This study investigated the effectiveness of a DTDUs, in addition to routine cleaning and disinfection, in preventing bacterial colonisation of new metal drainpipes in a clinical setting.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This non-blinded parallel group comparative study was conducted in the intensive care unit of Nagasaki University Hospital, Japan. DTDUs were installed in three and five new sink drains for cleaning oral care devices (OC) and staff handwashing (HW), respectively. Two new sink drains without DTDUs for OC and HW were used as controls. Sinks were used as usual, with daily cleaning with ethanol-wipes and weekly flushing of a drain cleaner containing 2% sodium hypochlorite. Additionally, OC drainpipes were disinfected using foam-type sodium hypochlorite. Samples were collected from insides of drainpipes biweekly for bacterial identification, semi-quantitative culturing, and antibiotic sensitivity test. The effect of the DTDUs on drainpipe bioburden was assessed using Fisher's exact test.</p><p><strong>Findings: </strong>Each sink was sampled 14 times. Bioburden was significantly lower in DTDU-equipped drainpipes than in controls for both OC and HW (both p<0.01). Pseudomonas aeruginosa was the most frequently isolated bacterium (46.3%); however, it was not detected in DTDU-equipped OC drainpipes. Carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales were detected in control HW drainpipes but not in DTDU-equipped HW drainpipes.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Thermal disinfection of drainpipes may suppress bacterial colonisation, including strains resistant to regular cleaning and disinfection.</p>","PeriodicalId":54806,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Hospital Infection","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.9000,"publicationDate":"2025-05-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Journal of Hospital Infection","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhin.2025.05.008","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"INFECTIOUS DISEASES","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Background: Hospital sink drains act as reservoirs for nosocomial infection-causing bacteria. Drainpipe thermal disinfection unit (DTDU) inhibit or reduce bacterial colonisation by elevating drainpipes temperature. However, their effectiveness remains to be comprehensively evaluated.
Aim: This study investigated the effectiveness of a DTDUs, in addition to routine cleaning and disinfection, in preventing bacterial colonisation of new metal drainpipes in a clinical setting.
Methods: This non-blinded parallel group comparative study was conducted in the intensive care unit of Nagasaki University Hospital, Japan. DTDUs were installed in three and five new sink drains for cleaning oral care devices (OC) and staff handwashing (HW), respectively. Two new sink drains without DTDUs for OC and HW were used as controls. Sinks were used as usual, with daily cleaning with ethanol-wipes and weekly flushing of a drain cleaner containing 2% sodium hypochlorite. Additionally, OC drainpipes were disinfected using foam-type sodium hypochlorite. Samples were collected from insides of drainpipes biweekly for bacterial identification, semi-quantitative culturing, and antibiotic sensitivity test. The effect of the DTDUs on drainpipe bioburden was assessed using Fisher's exact test.
Findings: Each sink was sampled 14 times. Bioburden was significantly lower in DTDU-equipped drainpipes than in controls for both OC and HW (both p<0.01). Pseudomonas aeruginosa was the most frequently isolated bacterium (46.3%); however, it was not detected in DTDU-equipped OC drainpipes. Carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales were detected in control HW drainpipes but not in DTDU-equipped HW drainpipes.
Conclusion: Thermal disinfection of drainpipes may suppress bacterial colonisation, including strains resistant to regular cleaning and disinfection.
期刊介绍：
The Journal of Hospital Infection is the editorially independent scientific publication of the Healthcare Infection Society. The aim of the Journal is to publish high quality research and information relating to infection prevention and control that is relevant to an international audience.
The Journal welcomes submissions that relate to all aspects of infection prevention and control in healthcare settings. This includes submissions that:
provide new insight into the epidemiology, surveillance, or prevention and control of healthcare-associated infections and antimicrobial resistance in healthcare settings;
provide new insight into cleaning, disinfection and decontamination;
provide new insight into the design of healthcare premises;
describe novel aspects of outbreaks of infection;
throw light on techniques for effective antimicrobial stewardship;
describe novel techniques (laboratory-based or point of care) for the detection of infection or antimicrobial resistance in the healthcare setting, particularly if these can be used to facilitate infection prevention and control;
improve understanding of the motivations of safe healthcare behaviour, or describe techniques for achieving behavioural and cultural change;
improve understanding of the use of IT systems in infection surveillance and prevention and control.
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