Water traps are some of the most contaminated areas in hospitals and increasingly recognised as potential vehicles for transmission of multi drug resistant organisms (MDROs) to patients. Water used for staff hand washing, hygiene of patients or washing devices is contaminated and then drained through the sinks, leading to the ideal environment for biofilm formation, which harbours MDROs, such as carbapenemase producing enterobacterales (CPE).

Washbasin water traps are some of the most contaminated areas in hospitals. For that reason, transmittance of MDROs from this area is increasingly recognised as a threat to patient health and safety. A contaminated water trap under a sink or hand wash basin, actually demonstrates that a good level of hand hygiene is being practiced. Bacteria from the hands are washed away and then remain inside the water trap. Bacteria in water traps can be fed as solutions (such as IV fluid, drug preperations even soft drinks) are disposed of in sinks. These solutions can provide nutrients for the bacteria to...

UVMATIC® WaterTrap Test of water traps with UV-C at Rigshospitalet, Denmark: After the product was developed, testing was carried out by the Department of Clinical Microbiology, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark. Risghospitalet, is a 1,040 bed university hospital, with over 6,000 members of staff, looking after the specialist medical needs of patients living in Copenhagen. Test swabs were taken at the beginning of each 15-day test, as well as every 3 to 4 days, in both the active and the control sinks. Summary of results UV-C decontamination of water traps reduces bacterial counts effectively...

Case study - Hospital Infection Research Laboratory, University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust Hand wash basins are known to be reservoirs of MDROs. The presence of communities of microorganisms called biofilms, can promote prolonged survival of MDROs in wet environments such as hand wash basins (Hayward et al. 2024). Evidence demonstrating the transmission of MDROs from biofilms in wet environments (such as sinks and drains) to the healthcare and patient environment and the subsequent spread of infections to patients, is now recognised (Inkster 2024). A recent investigation conducted...

Results Following the UVMATIC® Water Trap System being switched on a gradual decrease in the number of bacteria being detected was observed. The figure shows the log reduction in viable bacteria in relationship to the amount of time the UVMATIC® Water Trap Sytem is turned on. As the UVMATIC® Water Trap System remains on for longer, the TVC in the water sampled from the U-bend reduces. The effect of the UVMATIC® Water Trap System was highly statistically significant (p < 0.001). Conclusion The use of UV-C in the UVMATIC® Water Trap System was able to reduce the level of bacterial contamination...

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