White Plains Hospital installs Xenex\'s germ-zapping robots

Published: 11-Dec-2013

Devices use pulsed xenon to deliver UV light to destroy viruses, bacteria and bacterial spores

White Plains Hospital in New Jersey, US is using robots from Texas-based Xenex Disinfection Services to kill potentially lethal germs in its patient rooms, becoming one of the first hospitals in Westchester County to tap into a technology that uses pulsed xenon UV light to destroy bacteria, viruses, mould and other pathogens.

Affectionately named 'Sparkle' and 'R2 Clean2' by hospital staff, these portable disinfection devices have been proven to be 20 times more effective in cleaning rooms than standard chemical cleaning alone. They destroy major micro-organisms and superbugs that cause serious and sometimes lethal illnesses.

The Xenex room disinfection system has been credited for helping other healthcare facilities in the US to decrease their MRSA and C.diff infection rates by more than 50%, according to studies.

'Adding this additional layer of protection for our patients simply makes sense,' said Leigh Anne McMahon, Chief Nursing Officer and Senior Vice President of Patient Care at White Plains Hospital.

It is estimated that infections acquired in hospitals are the fourth leading cause of death in the US and cost hospitals more than US$30bn each year. Treating a single MRSA infection, for example, costs approximately $23,000. Conversely, it has been estimated that using these robotic disinfection systems costs less than $3 per room.

The Xenex robot works by emitting germ-killing UV light, which destroys viruses, bacteria and bacterial spores within a 5-10 minute cleaning cycle.

Without contact or chemicals, the robot kills harmful micro-organisms safely and effectively.

The robot is always operated in an unoccupied room. While brief exposure to the light is not a threat to people, there are embedded safety features such as a motion detection system that shuts down the robot when movement is detected in the room. There's also an emergency stop button that provides an immediate shutdown should anyone need to re-enter the room. The Xenex device contains no mercury or hydrogen peroxide.

A device can clean dozens of rooms per day, including patient rooms, operating rooms, equipment rooms, emergency rooms, intensive care units and public areas. White Plains Hospital has purchased two of these machines, investing roughly $200,000.

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