When Michael McIntyre, founder and CEO of LIV Process, attended a conference nearly 10 years ago, a single question changed the direction of his career: How can you solve a problem you cannot see?

That question led to what McIntyre describes as a platform science—and what may be a turning point in the fight against hospital-acquired infections (HAIs). LIV Process has developed the first product in the world capable of making viable C. difficile spores visible within seconds of application.

“C. diff translates to somewhere around four deaths per hour,” McIntyre said. “It afflicts 600,000 patients per year in hospitals and long-term care facilities.” The infection spreads easily through surface contact, causes severe dehydration, produces a distinctive odor, and poses serious risk to patients, their families, and the frontline workers caring for them.

The technology works by revealing what standard cleaning protocols cannot confirm: whether a surface is actually free of C. diff spores. Linda Lybert, executive director of the Healthcare Surfaces Institute, a division of ISSA, shared firsthand feedback from a facility that had tested the product. After completing a terminal clean—a full-room disinfection process—staff applied the LIV Process product and discovered the pathogen was still present on bed rails and doorknobs.

“Their EVS teams were empowered to actually clean areas that they had missed,” Lybert said. “And it’s just an amazing product.”

McIntyre noted that C. diff presents a particularly stubborn challenge: even after a terminal clean, a new patient has a 25% chance of acquiring the infection if any spores remain. The ability to visually confirm complete elimination shifts the model from reactive care to preventative care.

LIV Process will be a featured sponsor at the upcoming Healthcare Surfaces Summit, where McIntyre plans to participate in panel discussions on healthcare innovation and the challenges of bringing new solutions into clinical environments. That theme — the gap between proven technology and widespread adoption — is central to what the summit addresses each year.

“This is the most integrative group of leaders and experts,” McIntyre said, describing the summit’s value in connecting infection prevention specialists, nurses, environmental services teams, and building service contractors. “The thing that draws us all together is realizing the opportunity to merge purpose with solutions.”

The company is also launching what it calls the Invisible Hero Program, an initiative aimed at raising awareness about the risk frontline EVS workers face every day working in close proximity to deadly pathogens.

The Healthcare Surfaces Summit has limited seating — just 120 spots — and is more than halfway filled. Registration is open now at the Healthcare Surfaces Summit website.

Register here and save your spot!