The effect of ultraviolet rays on the prevention of exit-site infections

The aim of this study was to show that ultraviolet (UV) irradiation to the skin around the catheter exit site (ES) could inhibit its infection. First, bacterial cultures of swabbed fluid from the ES were obtained from 68 continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) outpatients six times during the 24-month observation period. Second, the bactericidal effects of UV irradiation on the catheter ES were examined. The results were as follows: (1) In spite of disinfection of the catheter ES by the strict application of povidone-iodine once or twice a day, 23%-45% of the cases were found to be micro-organism positive. The most prevalent micro-organisms from the catheter ES were, in order of highest to lowest prevalence, Staphylococcus epidermidis (SE), Staphylococcus aureus (SA), and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA). (2) In the nasal cavity SA was detected in 20%-25% of patients. There was a high incidence of ES infection among the SA nasal carriers. (3) UV irradiation was performed in 18 cases that constantly revealed bacteria on culture at the catheter ES. Ten cases (55%) became culture-negative, 3 cases showed a microbial decrease, and 5 cases remained unchanged. These results suggest that UV irradiation can eliminate bacteria and can be of prophylactic use for ES infections.