Loading images, please wait...
Hospital borne bacteria can cause a great deal of illness to already sick patients struggling to recover from their original conditions. No matter how vigilant the housekeeping team there is the constant risk that the virus or bacteria will thrive in the very place where people are most vulnerable. Xenex of Houston have come up with a mobile robotic device that kills microbiological organisms and sterilises bacteria using pulsed xenon UV so that every surface can be zapped with its 'rays'.
Researchers have established that as many as 1 in 20 patients may be fighting off a hospital borne infection and so this new weapon in the prevention armoury is a valuable addition to the hand gels, chemicals and antiseptics that are needed to keep all areas of a hospital clean and germ free.
Using sterilising ultra violet pulses, the Xenex can effectively deep clean a room in 10 minutes concentrating on the areas where contamination is most likely - tables, rails, phones and awkward surfaces.
Evidence shows that one hospital using the system, Cooley Dickinson in Northampton, Mass, has seen a drop of 67% in infections from C-diff, a resistant superbug. Not only does this technique save lives it also cuts cost by preventing the aftercare needed for infected patients. In the US it is estimated that hospital acquired infections cost $35 billion with a single case of MRSA costing $28000 not counting the suffering and stress caused to the patient.
Xenex is being marketed across the United States and the manufacturers are now looking to Asia and Europe to offer their life saving technology.
