OBJECTIVETo evaluate the effect of moxa-stick suffumigation in the hematology and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) wards with luminar flow.

METHODSThe plate exposure method was used to measure the effect of air-disinfection of moxa-stick suffumigation in hematology and HSCT wards. The yearly average qualified rates of air sampling in HSCT wards were evaluated from 2007 to 2010. To further investigate the disinfecting effect of moxa-stick suffumigation, the colony counts of common pathogens (including Staphylcoccus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa) before and after moxa-stick suffumigation were compared.

RESULTSThe mean air quality rates of the HSCT wards with class 100 laminar flow were all above 90.0% (91.2%-96.2%) from 2007 to 2010. Moxa-stick suffumigation effectively decreased the presence of bacteria in the hematology ward's air (P<0.01). The most notable effect was the drastic reduction in the colony counts of Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa on the blood plates exposed to air treated with moxa-stick suffumigation (77.1±52.9 cfu/m(2) vs 196.1±87.5 cfu/m(2), P<0.01; and 100.2±35.3 cfu/m(2) vs 371.5±35.3 cfu/m(2), P<0.01).

CONCLUSIONMoxa-stick suffumigation proved to be a reliable and effective airdisinfection method for hematology and HSCT wards, and hence, it should be employed extensively.