Bug Zapper Kills COVID-19 Virus
St. Luke’s, Lehigh University collaboration leads to clever, life-saving invention. BETHLEHEM, PA. - Among tales of hope, generosity and togetherness, the COVID-19 pandemic has also given rise to an unimaginable feat of ingenuity - the invention of the "Bug Zapper" to sterilize masks. As hospitals and other front-line organizations jumped to secure giant portions of life-saving provides and personal protective tools (PPE), chemical-free bug control there has additionally been the necessity to identify faster, Zap Zone Defender Setup more environment friendly methods to scrub and sterilize these items, notably the coveted N95 masks. St. Luke’s University Health Network anesthesiologist, Zap Zone Defender Testimonial Christopher Roscher, MD, anticipated the need and an idea started to kind. "It turned clear that PPE provides would develop into limited as the virus progressed," he says. The St. Luke’s Sterile Processing Department, or SPD, is the place where all surgical and medical instruments are despatched to be meticulously cleaned, Zap Zone Defender Setup sanitized and packaged for reuse. It’s a behind-the-scenes function that's a vital part of the health care system. "On any given day, we're processing many, many items right here at our hospital in Bethlehem," states Taylor Bennett, St. Luke’s Network Director of Sterile Processing.
"But with the present situation, there is an overwhelming need to process our employees’ PPE each day. For Dr. Roscher, a mild went on - literally and figuratively. "I had been doing non-public analysis about discovering ways to decontaminate masks for reuse, and Zap Zone Defender Setup peer-reviewed literature recommended that, in a pandemic, UV-C mild could possibly be an appropriate strategy to sterilize masks," he says. UV-C is a particular range of UV, or extremely-violet, light and has been shown to deactivate viruses and other pathogens by inflicting modifications in their DNA. Through a mutual contact, Dr. Roscher bought in touch with Nelson Tansu, PhD, Lehigh University’s Director and Endowed Chair of its Center for Photonics and Nanoelectronics (CPN). "What St. Luke’s was on the lookout for was a high-throughput sterilization system," stated Dr. Tansu. The 2 organizations joined forces by means of a sequence of Zoom meetings and a whole lot of emails, to design, fabricate, install and take a look at the gadget - all inside a matter of two weeks - and all while maintaining social distancing protocols.
The tip consequence: a approach to effectively and effectively sterilize 200 masks each 8 minutes! The "Bug Zapper" in motion. "Our current units weren't designed for large-scale use. They could only sterilize about 30 masks at a time," stated Eric Tesoriero, DO, anesthesiologist for St. Luke’s and a collaborator on the mission. The unit, engineered by Lehigh college students and employees and assembled at St. Luke’s by biomedical engineer Jay Johnson, has been affectionally named the "Bug Zapper" not solely resulting from its appearance, but as a result of its COVID-killing properties. "It is incredible that this undertaking moved at such a speedy velocity," remarks Dr. Tansu. The workforce ranged from PhDs to MDs and even included an unexpected contributor - Axel Tansu, Dr. Tansu’s adolescent son. In fact, it was Axel’s contribution that allowed the unit to have such a excessive-throughput fee. "Our unique design was cylindrical in form, to ensure even exposure of the sunshine on all surfaces," explains Dr. Tansu.
"Axel came to me and said, ‘Dad, what about an octagon? ’ And certain enough, he was proper. A patent to protect the team’s mental design has been filed. And a celebration for Zap Zone Defender the collaborators to satisfy, in-particular person, will be deliberate once it is protected to do so. Until then, the Bug Zapper might be exhausting at work, Zap Zone Defender Setup serving to to protect the frontline workers at St. Luke’s and past. This, Zap Zone Defender Setup like so many different stories, offers a ray of hope through the pandemic - showcasing that the human mind and spirit can overcome something - particularly when working together for an ideal cause. Afterall, as the well-known philosopher Plato understood 1000's of years ago, necessity is the mother of invention. Founded in 1872, ZapZone Defender St. Luke's University Health Network (SLUHN) is a completely integrated, regional, non-profit community of more than 15,000 employees providing providers at eleven hospitals and Zap Zone Defender Setup 300 outpatient websites. With annual net revenue better than $2 billion, the Network’s service area contains 11 counties: Lehigh, Northampton, Berks, Bucks, Carbon, Zap Zone Defender Montgomery, Monroe, Schuylkill and Luzerne counties in Pennsylvania and Warren and Hunterdon counties in New Jersey.