Henderson Hospital in Henderson, Nev., features two surgical suites, with continuous environmental disinfecting operating room light fixtures to help reduce the risk of surgical site infections, according to an article on the Benzinga website.
The disinfectant lights are installed in all inpatient and outpatient surgical suites and emergency department patient bays.
The fixtures use light-emitting diodes (LEDs) to generate visible white light that also contains a narrow spectrum of indigo colored light. This indigo color uses a wavelength of 405 nanometers (nm) to automatically, safely and continuously disinfect the air, and hard and soft surfaces.
The 405nm light is absorbed by molecules within bacteria, producing a chemical reaction that kills the bacteria from the inside as if common household bleach has been released within the bacterial cells.