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Some light wavelengths do kill germs, this is well established (EDIT: And I don't even mean UV light, but other, visible wavelengths). Just google it up, there'
by manmal 9y ago
Some light wavelengths do kill germs, this is well established (EDIT: And I don't even mean UV light, but other, visible wavelengths). Just google it up, there's lots of papers. And big cos like Neutrogena offer inexpensive devices that effectively kill bacteria responsible for acne - that's no proof, but for me an indicator that this has arrived in the mainstream.
You are right that light might only kill bacteria on tissue surface. But this is exactly where surgeons need it! My grandfather died of complications caused by a resistant strain infection after hip surgery. What happened is that bacteria from the environment entered the wound before it was sealed. Sure, you won't remotely kill all germs, but you might make an otherwise deadly infection manageable.
Just because it's not yet done, does not mean it's BS.
- KaiserPro 9y agoYou are confusing anti-septic with antibiotic. Cleaning things _before_ you operate is relativly easy. Iodine/bleach/listerene/arsenic/ozone will all kill bacteria on surfaces. Why antibiotics are great is that they can be taken orally and they kill bacteria _inside_, but not your body. UV/blue light is indescriminate, you can swallow a blue light pill and expect it to descriminate between your body and non-local bacteria
- tremon 9y agoWhy antibiotics are great is that they can be taken orally and they kill bacteria _inside_, but not your body. FCVO "your body". Antibiotics definitely do kill gut bacteria, which many consider to be part of our bodies.
- KaiserPro 9y agoyes, it does, which is a side effect, however unlike anti septic it doesn't total the intestine wall, and anything else behind it. For example Arsenic is a brilliant antibiotic, its just it kills you _and_ the infection. what we call antibiotics are far more diserning.
- thfuran 9y agoWhich really is a shame. I think the terminology ought to be the other way around.
- manmal 9y agoI'm not talking about UV light, see my other comment: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16113533 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16113533
- KaiserPro 9y agoWhich isn't the point I'm making. Topical treatments for a few genus of bacteria are _not_ a viable alternative
- manmal 9y agoIf you can kill many (not only some - don't know where you get that info?) bacteria, fungi etc. during an operation, while they are on their way to infect a wound, how is this not viable? I think we are misunderstanding each other. Here is another article where infected burn wounds were "disinfected" with blue light: https://newatlas.com/blue-light-kills-bacteria/26026/ https://newatlas.com/blue-light-kills-bacteria/26026/ "In a proof-of-concept study, led by Dr. Michael R. Hamblin of Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, an array of blue LEDs was used to treat infected burns on lab mice. More specifically, the blue light was used to selectively eradicate potentially-lethal Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteria in the animals’ skin and soft tissues. The results of the study were promising. All of the light-treated mice survived, while 82 percent of the untreated control group died. Additionally, unlike bacteria-killing ultraviolet light, the blue light wasn’t harmful to the animals’ own cells."
- Para2016 9y agoSo you're saying just have blue lights on in the OR for added protection? Because surgeons are still going to use sterile technique, chlorhexdine, and Ancef prophylaxis. If blue light helps in a couple trials, they'll add the blue light. Maybe it'll kill those few extra aerosolized bacteria or something
- manmal 9y agoExactly, that's what my original comment said. Use it on the wound area before sewing the wound up. Or why not during the whole process.