Healthcare facilities

Healthcare equipment spreads harmful diseases

Healthcare-associated infections remain a major source of illness and death. Healthcare facilities are an important source of hospital pathogens, including methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA), Clostridium difficile, norovirus, Acinetobacter and vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus (VRE).

Contaminated hard surfaces are well proven to promote transmission. Cleaning and disinfection programmes for surfaces need careful design, because microorganisms attached to surfaces resist sanitisers better than free-living ones — disinfectants struggle to penetrate their protective layer of microbial polymers.

How Kirkmayer ECA technology helps

Beyond food processing and agriculture, Kirkmayer ECA technology has well-documented effectiveness in healthcare — especially for dental waterlines, radiology and endoscopy equipment.

Studies have shown electrochemically produced anolyte (HClO) to be effective for microbial reduction on diagnostic equipment, including CT and MRI patient couches, with up to 99% of microorganisms removed — a powerful way to establish biosecurity between procedures.

Compared with conventional sanitisers such as benzalkonium chloride, povidone-iodine and sodium hypochlorite (bleach), anolyte has proven superior at eliminating bacteria common on dental and surgical equipment — at concentrations up to an order of magnitude lower and with significantly shorter contact times.

Traditional disinfectants are bought in bulk and transported to the facility, with transport costs, storage space and logistics to manage. Anolyte from Kirkmayer generators is made on site from table salt, water and electricity — a more flexible, greener option for efficient healthcare disinfection.