Clece chooses Xenex Germ-Zapping robots for hospital disinfection in Spain and Portugal

Published: 16-Apr-2015

The robots use pulsed xenon to create UV light that quickly destroys infectious germs

Spain’s leading healthcare provider of cleaning, maintenance, catering and social services, Clece, has chosen Xenex Germ-Zapping robots for room disinfection at hospitals in Spain and Portugal.

The company has deployed the robots at the Vall d'Hebron University Hospital in Barcelona, where they will be used to supplement the hospital’s cleaning and disinfection procedures, and at Ramón y Cajal in Madrid.

Infections caused by superbugs such as Clostridium difficile (C.diff), Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) are a well-documented global problem and Xenex is a proven solution to destroy these micro-organisms before they can harm patients and healthcare workers.

The robots use pulsed xenon, an environmentally-friendly inert gas, to create full spectrum, high intensity ultraviolet (UV) light that quickly destroys infectious germs. The robot destroys C.diff spores and other micro-organisms in less than five minutes, and Xenex says studies have shown a greater than 50% decrease in C.diff, MRSA and multi-drug resistant organism (MDRO) infections when hospitals use its robots to disinfect rooms.

We congratulate Clece for bringing this technology to Europe and we look forward to global deployment of our robots

Mike DelVacchio, Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Xenex, said: 'Xenex Germ-Zapping robots are already in use in nearly 300 hospitals in the US. We have been very diligent about our international expansion and ensuring that we find the right partners who share our passion for patient safety. We congratulate Clece for bringing this technology to Europe and we look forward to global deployment of our robots.'

The Xenex robot is designed for speed, effectiveness and ease of use, which allows Clece’s cleaning staff to operate it without disrupting hospital operations. With a proven five-minute disinfection cycle, the robot can disinfect 30-62 hospital rooms each day, including patient rooms, operating theatres, equipment rooms, emergency rooms, intensive care units and public areas.

José Luis Muñoz Garrid, Director de Hospitales de Clece, said: 'The Xenex robots will complement our current methods of cleaning and disinfection of surfaces in hospitals. There are many UV disinfection technologies out there, but only Xenex doesn’t contain mercury bulbs and is proven and published in peer reviewed journals to work in the hospital environment and reduce infections.'

He added: 'The Xenex robots are capable of destroying non-enveloped viruses in just minutes, so they will play a major role in our infectious disease outbreak protocols.'

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