PuraCath Medical Shows Greater Than 99.99% Reduction in ‘Superbug’ Candida Auris with One Second of UVC Exposure

JUNE 18, 2019

PuraCath Medical, a venture-backed medical device company based in Silicon Valley, announced today that it has achieved 99.99% disinfection on its vascular access Firefly disinfection technology system with Candida auris (‘superbug’), Staphylococcus aureus, and Candida albicans.

“Achieving greater than 4 log disinfection in these virulent microbes with only one second of UV exposure is an incredible breakthrough and will help with compliance and ease of disinfection whenever accessing vascular access devices (VAD) and infusion systems!” says Dr. Gregory Schears, Professor of Anesthesiology in Rochester, MN. “Inadequate disinfection of needleless connectors is a significant contributor to biofilm formation in VADs and hence the development of CRBSIs. These results suggest that the Firefly disinfection technology may have a huge impact in helping to reduce CRBSIs in hospitals. This is very exciting!”

In vitro testing of the Firefly disinfection technology demonstrated the effectiveness of the UV light-based vascular access catheter connection system in achieving a greater than 4 log reduction of several microorganisms known to cause a Catheter Line Associated Bloodstream Infection (CLABSI). The mean log reduction of these microorganisms was 4.44 +/- 0.22 for Candida auris, 5.06 +/- 0.62 for Candida albicans, and 5.70 +/- 0.62 for Staphylococcus aureus.

“Our team is thrilled to have achieved this big scientific breakthrough of achieving 99.99% reduction in just one second of UV-C light,” says PuraCath Medical Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder, Ms. Julia Rasooly. “With a device that is now faster than any other disinfection platform out there and safer, we look forward to having Firefly be the standard of care for catheter line disinfection in all hospitals and outpatient units.”

What is vascular access? 
Vascular access refers to a rapid, direct method of introducing or removing devices or medication into the bloodstream. The global vascular access device market is valued at $3.6B and expected to grow at a CAGR of 6.89% per year. The vascular access market is comprised of peripheral IV catheters (PIVCs), peripherally inserted central catheters (PICCs), central venous catheters (CVCs), and implantable ports. Infections related to these catheters are named Catheter Related Bloodstream Infections (CRBSIs).