Specialty Hospitals and Acquired Infections

The March 10, 2008 issue of Forbes magazine has some interesting articles advocating for the use of specialty hospitals for such procedures as joint replacement, cancer, heart operations etc. The primary purpose of the article is to discuss the reduction of complications and the faster results obtained by having one facility and it's staff dedicated to one type procedure. The latest equipment and the training for that equipment is a benefit to the patient since the facility only does one type procedure and will have latest equipment to do it with.

A side effect of this type specialty hospital is the reduction of exposure to the many bacteria that one finds in a general hospital. In a general hospital you may find all sorts of health issues and the personnel in the hospital, merely by providing patient care, are moving back and forth amidst different patients with different diagnosis and needs. The risk of cross contamination is much higher due to the greater abundance of germs and the transport of those germs from one area to another.

A site is mentioned in the editor's comments, http://www.hospitalinfection.org which monitors the infections. We have linked to this site on our blog.

What would be nice is if even the specialty hospitals knew of the advantages of controlling pathogens by the simple use of the portable 900 watt ultraviolet and 150 watt O3 portable cannister. This type device not only kills germs on surfaces but also throughout the air. Our UV missile defense to the airborne!!!

Dental Patients - Preventing infection with Ultraviolet Light

New patent on use of ultraviolet lamp for preventing localized and systemic infection in dental patients.

Wound Healing Using Electricity

How Infrex Unit works video is about the principles of interferential therapy versus what is called TENS therapy. This video is about pain but similar type devices are used to accelerate wound healing. There have been some reports of tens units being used for accelerated healing rates.

Generally speaking electrotherapy is not used to destroy pathogens/bacteria. That is best accomplished by the use of 254 nanometer ultraviolet light the V-254 Wound Lamp emits.

In the wound healing arena the type device used is generally what is called a "pulsed galvanic stimulator" ( aka high voltage, PGS, ). The distinction with a PGS/HV stimulator is the stimulator emits a series of direct current polarities, ie. positive or negative charges. It is generally acknowledged that when the wound "plateaus" or ceases to continue to heal at a rapid rate, then the polarity of the tissues has reversed and by now switching the underlying tissue polarity back then the healing rate is increased. All of this is going on on the cellular level and some of the clinical work is duplicative of what one finds when we discuss healing non-union fractures with electricity.

Later I will add to this discussion ( although right now it's pretty one sided - mea alone!!!).

Stop Reinfection of Wounds/Bedsores

One issue with patients with chronic wounds, in many cases, is the wound itself is not chronic but a normal healing wound and is either consistently reinjured or reinfected. This is especially so with patients who are incontinent and have wounds below their waist.

A very simple method to prevent reinfection from feces or urinary incontinency is to always expose the skin/bed materials to 254 nanometer ultraviolet when changing dressing or as a routine precaution. It takes only 2 minutes or so but one wound simply wave the V-254 Wound Lamp over the patient's skin and the bed linens to kill any bacteria that was present around the wound itself. This is done after exposing the contaminated wound to the V-254 lamp for approximately 60 seconds.

The V-254 is FDA approved for pathogen irradication on intact skin. The migratory process can be stopped by killing the pathogens so there is nothing to migrate, thus no reinfection which hampers the normal healing processes.

Thanks for visiting

This blog is intended to educate on the use of ultraviolet light to accelerate wound repair and also eradication of pathogens on the skin and in the wound bed.

Our posts are intended to educate, not persuade, and also to dismiss the many factual errors that are prevalent when one discusses the use of ultraviolet energy for health purposes. One of the most abused myths is that ultraviolet in the 254 nanometer range is a carcinogenic agent. It is not. On higher wavelengths it is but not on the shorwave energy we discuss.

Also there is no none pathogens that has ever been able to mutate as a result of exposure to shortwave UV energy. 254 nanonmeter UV waves do not allow the further advancement of bacteria, such as MRSA or VRE, which is causing so many problems today due to their ability to mutate and adapt to the latest in antibiotics.

Hope you find this blog interesting,informative and you will add your knowledge to this body of science. Our web site.

Thanks.

V-254: Hot or Cold Quartz?

Neither.

This is a term used prior to the advent of superior lighting technology using fluoresecent bulbs.

Historically the state of art was to use what was referred to as a "hot/cold quartz" lamp for producing ultraviolet energy in the 254 nanometer range. The "hot" vs. "cold" discussion was about waiting for the lamp to get "hot" which meant a time period before maximum efficiency of emission of ultraviolet energy occurred. During the "cold" period it was advised to not treat the patient as not enough UV energy was coming out of the unit. When it reached it's "hot" period, generally 1 - 2 minutes after turning on, then the physical therapist( UV PT)would begin treatment of the patient's wounds.

The V-254 uses mercury vapor bulbs and there is not a "warm up period" and treatment begins as soon as the lamp is turned on.

For an explanation of how the mercury produces the energy go to:

http://howthingswork.virginia.edu/page1.php?QNum=516

Is Ultraviolet Energy Carcinogenic?

The answer to that question depends upon one not making a broad generalization. One must first describe what type ultraviolet is being referred to. Basically the UV spectrum is divided into 3 types, A ( 350 nm ) - B ( 300 nm) - C ( 250 nm) rays.

The first two types, A + B, have been proven to be carcinogenic in that with extended exposure the cumulative effect can be to create a carcinogenic response. On UV-C, the null hypothesis was established when the researchers tried to create a carcinogenic response. UV-C is not a carcinogenic agent.

A sure give away when one looks at acquiring UV equipment for wound care is to look at the treatment protocol. If the unit promoted has descriptions of treatment such as extending the treatment time each day or application that is generally a give away that the unit is not a lamp emitting C range but either A or B range. This type unit is not FDA approved, nor warranted for use as a wound lamp. The reason for the increasing treatment times is the body is responding to the longer UV wave lengths and trying to protect itself from the cancer producing rays.

The shorter 254 rays lack the ability to penetrate and are not the harmful rays one associates with the term "ultraviolet".