The GRED Group has announced that it has provided financial support for Germitec, a company that develops and sells innovative disinfection systems for hospital hygiene.
This €4m financing enables Germitec to meet the demand in the healthcare sector for a simple solution to ensure compliance with the new requirements in ultrasound probe disinfection. Thanks to this investment, Germitec will be able to expand its presence in the European market and apply for FDA approval in the US.
The new global standards introducing requirements for disinfecting ultrasound probes and Germitec’s proven disinfection chamber technology convinced the GRED group to provide new financing for the company.
According to current guidelines, endo-cavity and transesophageal (TO) ultrasound probes must be disinfected between each use. In 2017, new requirements from the World Federation for Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology (WFUMB), the European Federation of Societies for Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology (EFSUMB) and the European Society of Radiology (ESR) highlighted the need for High Level Disinfection (HLD).
Photonic high-level disinfection
The traditional HLD techniques such as chemical soaking, the use of multiple wipes or semi-automated systems use hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), a toxic chemical product, are complex and take between 10 and 30 minutes. Alternative solutions are therefore demanded, especially in the US.
This automatic HLD photonic platform has increasingly been recognised by international authorities and societies, which consider it as an appropriate method for disinfecting ultrasound probes
Germitec uses UV disinfection thus creating a photonic high-level disinfection (HLD) system. The company’s products, Antigermix AS1 for vaginal and rectal probes and Antigermix AE1 for TO probes, are high speed (90 seconds), easy to use and pose no toxic risk (neither fumes nor residues left on the instruments).
In contrast to other HLD techniques, these products do not require any consumables, the probe does not need to be removed from the system at the end of disinfection process and it does not require rinsing.
The system uses sensors to check that the disinfection has been successful, in contrast to chemical systems which are operator-dependent. It uses a single plug socket and offers automatic traceability using RFID probe identification.
There is no longer the need to manually update the traceability log book to ensure compliance for healthcare centres using such devices. Lastly, photonic disinfection has been shown to be effective against HPV, which is a specific problem for endo-cavity ultrasound probes.
This automatic HLD photonic platform has increasingly been recognised by international authorities and societies, which consider it as an appropriate method for disinfecting ultrasound probes. These include the FNMR (French National Federation of Radiologists), WFUMB, ESR, EFSUMB and DEGUM (German Society for Ultrasound in Medicine).
More efficient
Used as a routine method, Antigermix achieves substantial savings for users by allowing them to increase by five-fold the number of examinations performed (Urology Department at the HEGP in Paris) or reduce the number of required probes to a fifth (IVF Department at Saint Joseph Marseille). Healthcare professionals can even substantially reduce the rate of probe breakage (Créteil Hospital).
“We are very enthusiastic as this new investment will enable us to distribute our technology more widely. In Europe, we will create sales networks in the UK and Germany. In the US, where we receive many inquiries, we plan to start sales in early 2019. Germitec aims to provide a simple solution for sonographers now faced with more stringent disinfection requirements. Since the beginning of the year, we have sold four times as many systems as in the same period in 2017,” said Clément Deshays, founder and CEO of Germitec.
“Our solution radically simplifies the lives of healthcare professionals. It gives them peace of mind so they can concentrate on their patients, without worrying about toxic chemical products, manual traceability or disinfection time," said Deshays.
Deshays continued: "Antigermix works more quickly than the time it takes to bring the next patient in, which maximizes the number of examinations that can be performed daily without necessitating the purchase of additional probes. We are most grateful to our shareholders and users who, through their commitment, are creating a new standard in ultrasound practice.”
