MOBILE, Ala.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The University of South Alabama Medical Center, part of USA Health, is the first hospital in the region to acquire a Xenex LightStrike™ Germ-Zapping Robot™ to enhance environmental cleanliness and transform the way care is delivered by disinfecting and destroying hard-to-kill pathogens in hard-to-clean places.
“It’s going to make our environment safer,” said Teresa Aikens, nurse manager for infection control at USA Medical Center, “and make a big impact on our infection rates.” A $100,000 grant from the Compton Trust in Mobile allowed the hospital to purchase the disinfecting robot.
The Xenex robot, which will be named in an employee contest, uses Full Spectrum™ pulsed xenon ultraviolet (UV) light to quickly destroy bacteria, viruses, fungi and bacterial spores. The portable disinfection system is an emerging technology in healthcare focusing on the most effective and efficient method of sanitizing surfaces throughout hospitals and healthcare facilities. These technologies enable environmental services personnel to increase their effectiveness in providing the safest environment for patients and staff.
While UV light has been used for disinfection for decades, the Xenex LightStrike Germ-Zapping Robot is a new technology that utilizes pulsed xenon (not mercury bulbs) to create germicidal UV light. Pulsed xenon emits high-intensity UV-C light that penetrates the cell walls of microorganisms, including bacteria, viruses, mold, fungus and spores. Their DNA is fused, rendering them unable to reproduce or mutate, effectively killing them on surfaces without contact or chemicals. The Xenex system is effective against the most dangerous pathogens, including Clostridium difficile (C.diff), Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Ebola, norovirus and influenza.
The portable Xenex system can disinfect a typical patient or procedure room in four or five minute cycles without warm-up or cool-down times. 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, bathrooms and public spaces.
The Xenex pulsed xenon UV disinfection system has been credited by healthcare facilities across the U.S. for helping them reduce their 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 percent. Nearly 400 hospitals, Veterans Affairs and DoD facilities in the U.S., Canada, Africa, UK , Japan and Europe are using Xenex robots, which are also in use in skilled nursing facilities, ambulatory surgery centers and long term acute care facilities.
About University of South Alabama Medical Center: With a staff of 1,400, the University of South Alabama Medical Center offers patient-centered care with unique services including Mobile’s only Level I Trauma Center and the Arnold Luterman Regional Burn Center. For more information, visit http://www.usahealthsystem.com/usamc.
About Xenex Disinfection Services: Xenex's patented Full Spectrum pulsed xenon UV room disinfection system is used for the advanced disinfection of healthcare facilities. Due to its speed and ease of use, the Xenex system has proven to integrate smoothly into hospital cleaning operations. Xenex’s mission is to save lives and reduce suffering by eliminating the deadly microorganisms that cause hospital acquired infections (HAIs). The company is backed by well-known investors that include Malin Corporation, Battery Ventures, Tectonic Ventures, Targeted Technology Fund II and RK Ventures. For more information, visit Xenex.com.
