ABSTRACT
Objective To compare the effects of Chinese herbal fumigation and ultraviolet light exposure on air disinfection in neurosurgical intensive care unit.Methods The floors and the tables in the rooms of ICU were all disinfected using 0.02%84 disinfectant.The air disinfection was performed in the rooms using Chinese herbal(elsholtziae,ramulus cinnamomi,forsythia suspense,flos caryophylli)fumigation as the experiment group and those using ultraviolet light exposure as the control group,both for 30 times.The two disinfection methods were compared before air disinfection,at hours 0,1,2,4,8 and 12 in terms of bacteria tests.Results The air quality on natural bacteria in both groups met the standard of Class Ⅱ Environmental Health Criteria at hour 0,l after air disinfection,without significant difference between the two groups at each time point(P>0.05).In the control group,the bacteria began to grow in number one hour after ultraviolet light exposure and overgrew two hours after air disinfection.In the experiment group,the bacteria grew less,never exceeding the standard level at all time points.The disinfection effect of the experimental group was all significantly better than that of the control group at the time points of 2 h,4 h,8 h,12 h(P<0.05 or P<0.01). Conclusions Chinese herbal fumigation is superior to the UV light irradiation disinfection.It is safe and harmless even in case of medical staff working in the unit.