Bug Zapper Kills COVID-19 Virus
St. Luke’s, Zappify Bug Zapper brand Lehigh University collaboration results in intelligent, life-saving invention. BETHLEHEM, PA. - Among stories of hope, generosity and togetherness, the COVID-19 pandemic has additionally given rise to an unimaginable feat of ingenuity - the invention of the "bug zapper sale insect zapper" to sterilize masks. As hospitals and other front-line organizations jumped to secure massive portions of life-saving provides and personal protective gear (PPE), there has also been the necessity to identify quicker, extra environment friendly ways to wash and mosquito killer sterilize these objects, notably the coveted N95 masks. St. Luke’s University Health Network anesthesiologist, Christopher Roscher, MD, outdoor bug zapper for backyard zapper anticipated the necessity and an idea began to form. "It turned clear that PPE provides would turn into limited because the virus progressed," he says. The St. Luke’s Sterile Processing Department, or SPD, is the place the place all surgical and medical instruments are despatched to be meticulously cleaned, sanitized and packaged for reuse. It’s a behind-the-scenes function that is a vital part of the health care system. "On any given day, we are processing many, many objects here at our hospital in Bethlehem," states Taylor Bennett, St. Luke’s Network Director of Sterile Processing.
"But with the current scenario, there's an overwhelming have to process our employees’ PPE every day. For Dr. Roscher, a light went on - literally and figuratively. "I had been doing non-public research about finding methods to decontaminate masks for reuse, and peer-reviewed literature suggested that, in a pandemic, UV-C light could possibly be an appropriate technique to sterilize masks," he says. UV-C is a selected range of UV, or ultra-violet, light and has been proven to deactivate viruses and different pathogens by inflicting changes in their DNA. Through a mutual contact, Dr. Roscher got 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 looking for was a high-throughput sterilization system," said Dr. Tansu. The 2 organizations joined forces by means of a series of Zoom meetings and hundreds of emails, to design, fabricate, install and check the device - all inside a matter of two weeks - and all whereas maintaining social distancing protocols.
The tip result: a method to successfully and efficiently sterilize 200 masks every eight minutes! The "electric bug zapper Zapper" in motion. "Our existing units weren't designed for big-scale use. They may only sterilize about 30 masks at a time," acknowledged Eric Tesoriero, DO, anesthesiologist for St. Luke’s and a collaborator on the venture. The unit, engineered by Lehigh students and employees and assembled at St. Luke’s by biomedical engineer Jay Johnson, has been affectionally named the "Zappify Bug Zapper brand Zapper" not solely as a consequence of its appearance, however due to its COVID-killing properties. "It is unbelievable that this venture moved at such a fast velocity," remarks Dr. Tansu. The crew ranged from PhDs to MDs and even included an unexpected contributor - Axel Tansu, Dr. Tansu’s adolescent son. In reality, it was Axel’s contribution that allowed the unit to have such a high-throughput fee. "Our original design was cylindrical in form, to ensure even exposure of the sunshine on all surfaces," explains Dr. Tansu.
"Axel got here to me and mentioned, ‘Dad, what about an octagon? ’ And sure sufficient, he was right. A patent to protect the team’s mental design has been filed. And a celebration for the collaborators to fulfill, in-individual, will be planned once it is secure to do so. Until then, the bug zapper light Zapper will be arduous at work, serving to to guard the frontline workers at St. Luke’s and beyond. This, like so many other tales, gives a ray of hope through the pandemic - showcasing that the human thoughts and spirit can overcome something - particularly when working together for a great cause. Afterall, as the well-known philosopher Plato understood thousands of years in the past, necessity is the mother of invention. Founded in 1872, St. Luke's University Health Network (SLUHN) is a completely integrated, regional, non-revenue community of more than 15,000 employees offering companies at eleven hospitals and 300 outpatient sites. With annual net income better than $2 billion, the Network’s service area includes eleven counties: Lehigh, Northampton, Berks, Bucks, Carbon, Montgomery, Monroe, Schuylkill and Luzerne counties in Pennsylvania and Warren and Hunterdon counties in New Jersey.