Western Reserve Hospital deploys Xenex Germ-Zapping Robot
The robot enhances patient safety by destroying superbugs that can cause infections
As hospitals around the world look for new ways to battle deadly pathogens and kill multi-drug resistant organisms, Western Reserve Hospital has taken a “leap into the future” with the installation of a LightStrike Germ-Zapping Robot. The robot destroys bacteria that can pose a risk to patient and employee safety.
The Xenex robot, affectionately named “Violet” by Western Reserve Hospital team members, uses Full Spectrum pulsed xenon ultraviolet (UV) light to quickly destroy bacteria, viruses, fungi and bacterial spores. The portable disinfection system is effective against even the most dangerous pathogens, including Clostridium difficile (C.diff), norovirus, influenza, Ebola and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).
“We’ve long been recognised for our commitment to patient satisfaction and exceptional patient care, and a big part of that is providing a thoroughly clean environment at our facility,” said Rick Gemma, general surgeon at Western Reserve Hospital.
The Xenex Germ-Zapping Robot utilises pulsed xenon (not mercury bulbs) to create germicidal UV light. Pulsed xenon emits high intensity UVC light, which penetrates the cell walls of microorganisms, including bacteria, viruses, mould, fungus and spores. Their DNA is fused, rendering them unable to reproduce or mutate, effectively killing them on surfaces without contact.
The portable Xenex system can disinfect a typical procedure room in 4–5-minute cycles without warm-up or cool-down times. It can be used in any department, including isolation rooms.
The Xenex pulsed xenon UV disinfection system has been credited by healthcare facilities across the US for helping reduce infection rates significantly.
Several hospitals have published their C.diff, MRSA and Surgical Site infection rate reduction studies in peer-reviewed journals, showing infection rate reductions in excess of 70%.
Nearly 400 hospitals, Veterans Affairs and DoD facilities in the US, Canada, Africa, UK and Europe are using Xenex robots.
