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Germ Zapper
A new device called the "Xenex" is being used as
an effective germ zapper. It emits intense, millisecond pulses
of ultraviolet light from a high-wattage strobe light, killing
bacteria in hospital rooms and other areas. The UV light apparently
kills the germs or make them unable to produce by damaging their
DNA. This was recently reported on by Forbes...
Cooley Dickinson Hospital in Northampton, Mass. treats
40,000 emergency room patients a year. In 2010, 33 people admitted
for surgery or other ailments caught a superbug called Clostridium
difficile, or C. diff. Six died and three others had their colons
removed. Cooley has company: Last month Joseph Brant Memorial
Hospital in Ontario, Canada got slapped with a $50 million class
action after a C. diff outbreak killed 50...
Brian Cruver, founder of Xenex, in Austin, Tex., aims to
stomp the killers in their tracks. His weapon: a rolling, 3-foot-tall
machine (think R2-D2 from Star Wars) called the Xenex that bathes
hospital rooms with intense, millisecond pulses of ultraviolet
light from a high-wattage strobe light.
Fortunately the machine has motion sensors to shut it off
if someone opens the door, but it would take 30 minutes of the
UV exposure to cause what might be called a mild sunburn. Is
the device effective? Very much so it seems. This is especially
apparent when comparing it to traditional approaches. In at least
one study, when bleach, alcohol and other biocides are used,
8% of high-touch surfaces still test positive for superbugs--the
nastiest of the bacteria. But according to the Forbes article,
"Cooley Dickinson started using the Xenex in early 2011.
So far only eight patients have developed C. diff, and none has
died." There were no other changes to cleaning procedures.
Xenex now has 30 employees. It has sold or leased machines
to more than twenty hospitals so far, at about $80,000 each.
With more than 5,000 hospitals in the US, and each needing about
two units, there is a huge market here. So far it appears that
hospitals which use the devices are saving lives, but also saving
big money as a result. A germ zapper can prevent many lawsuits.
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