Laredo Medical Center Is First Hospital In City To Deploy Germ-Zapping Robot
7/6/2020
As healthcare facilities look for new and innovative ways to battle multi-drug resistant organisms that can pose a risk to patient safety, Laredo Medical Center has taken a leap into the future with a germ-zapping robot that destroys hard-to-kill viruses, bacteria and superbugs in hard-to-clean places. The hospital is the first healthcare facility in Laredo to deploy the robot, which utilizes robotic UV room disinfection for infection prevention.
Recognizing that superbugs are becoming increasingly resistant to cleaning chemicals, antibiotics and even some hand sanitizers, hospitals are turning to new technology to enhance their existing infection control practices and reduce the risk of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs). These infections are caused by microorganisms such as Clostridium difficile (C. diff), methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), and vancomycin-resistant Enterococci (VRE) that often lurk on high-touch surfaces in healthcare facilities.
The robot is proven to deactivate Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus that causes COVID-19, in two minutes.
“Safety has always been Laredo Medical Center’s utmost priority and we are further reinforcing it with the investment of this innovative technology,” says Enrique Gallegos, CEO. “Our goal is to continue taking extraordinary precautions to provide a safe environment across all areas of the hospital for the wellbeing of our patients, employees and physicians.”
Gallegos added, “Laredo Medical Center already has an infection prevention program in place and we are very excited about adding this robot to our infection prevention bundle.”
The germ-zapping robot uses pulsed xenon, an environmentally friendly inert gas, to create intense bursts of ultraviolet (UV) light that quickly destroys bacteria, viruses, mold, fungus and spores on hospital surfaces. The robot works quickly and does not require warm-up or cool-down time, so the hospital is able to disinfect dozens of rooms per day. Peer-reviewed studies have shown significant reductions in C. diff, MRSA, VRE and/or Surgical Site Infection (SSI) rates after integrating the robot to supplement a facility’s environmental disinfection efforts.
The portable robot can disinfect a typical patient room or procedure room in 10-15 minutes without warm-up or cool-down times. Operated by the hospital support services staff, it can be used in any department and in any unit within a healthcare facility, including isolation rooms, operating rooms, general patient care rooms, contact precaution areas, emergency rooms, restrooms and public spaces.
During the presentation, hospital officials announced that the robot has been named “Zap-19” in reference to its ability to destroy the COVID-19 virus. The idea for the name was born from a Name-the-Robot voting contest with the participation of hospital employees.
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