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Our project will test new methods of decontaminating airway devices onsite so that they can be re-used safely whilst reducing the carbon cost significantly. These new methods will use ultraviolet radiation or a chemical, hydrogen peroxide, to destroy germs which may still be on the device after washing with water. To make sure these methods are safe for patients we will test how well the devices are cleaned using a specialist method to test for the presence of germs in very low numbers.

This new point of care reprocessing method involves a manual cleaning step, using reusable microfibre cloths in combination with hypochlorous acid, followed by an automated cycle in a UV-C decontamination chamber known as ‘Whitebox’. This chamber uses new generation LED technology and is the first of its type to achieve compliance to BS8628:2022. Compliance to this standard was verified in a UKAS accredited laboratory as the first stage of the evidence process.

Whitebox-HD2 is a range of high-level disinfection equipment that uses LED technology, and is the first of its type to achieve compliance to the BS8628:2022 UV-C surface disinfection standard. The miniaturized LED technology has made this possible in a compact, point of care form due to the small light sources, which are used with highly reflective materials that magnify the radiation, increasing the UV-C dose on the surface to be treated. LED technology is rapidly gaining in efficiency, and this project will allow the latest generation devices to be realized, resulting in a 70% reduction in processing cycle time.