Airborne hydrogen peroxide for disinfection of the hospital environment and infection control: a systematic review

SummaryWe reviewed the effectiveness of airborne hydrogen peroxide as an environmental disinfectant and infection control measure in clinical settings. Systematic review identified ten studies as eligible for inclusion. Hydrogen peroxide was delivered in the form of vapour and dry mist in seven and three studies, respectively. Pathogens evaluated included meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Clostridium difficile and multiple bacterial types, in five, three, and two studies, respectively. Before the application of any cleaning intervention, 187/480 (39.0%; range: 18.9–81.0%) of all sampled environmental sites were found to be contaminated by the studied pathogens in nine studies that reported specific relevant data. After application of terminal cleaning and airborne hydrogen peroxide, 178/630 (28.3%; range: 11.9–66.1%) of the sampled sites in six studies and 15/682 (2.2%; range: 0–4.0%) of the sampled sites in ten studies, respectively, remained contaminated. Four studies evaluated the use of hydrogen peroxide vapour for infection control. This was associated with control of a nosocomial outbreak in two studies, eradication of persistent environmental contamination with MRSA and decrease in C. difficile infection in each of the remaining two studies.