Bug Zapper Kills COVID-19 Virus
St. Luke’s, Lehigh University collaboration leads to intelligent, life-saving invention. BETHLEHEM, PA. - Among stories of hope, generosity and togetherness, Defender by Zap Zone 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 different front-line organizations jumped to secure large quantities of life-saving provides and personal protective tools (PPE), Official Zap Zone Defender there has additionally been the necessity to establish quicker, more efficient methods to clean and sterilize these objects, significantly the coveted N95 masks. St. Luke’s University Health Network anesthesiologist, Christopher Roscher, MD, anticipated the necessity and Zap Zone Defender an idea began to form. "It grew to become clear that PPE supplies would turn out to be limited as the virus progressed," he says. The St. Luke’s Sterile Processing Department, or SPD, is the place the place all surgical and medical devices are despatched to be meticulously cleaned, Zap Zone Defender sanitized and packaged for reuse. It’s a behind-the-scenes function that's a vital a part of the well being care system. "On any given day, we're processing many, many items here at our hospital in Bethlehem," states Taylor Bennett, St. Luke’s Network Director of Sterile Processing.
"But with the present scenario, there is an overwhelming have to course of our employees’ PPE each day. For Dr. Roscher, a mild went on - literally and figuratively. "I had been doing non-public analysis about finding methods to decontaminate masks for reuse, Zap Zone Defender and peer-reviewed literature prompt that, in a pandemic, Zap Zone Defender UV-C mild could 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 causing adjustments 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 searching for was a excessive-throughput sterilization system," mentioned Dr. Tansu. The two organizations joined forces via a collection of Zoom meetings and tons of of emails, to design, fabricate, set up and check the device - all within a matter of two weeks - and all whereas maintaining social distancing protocols.
The tip end result: a technique to successfully and effectively sterilize 200 masks each eight minutes! The "Bug Zapper" in action. "Our current units weren't designed for big-scale use. They might only sterilize about 30 masks at a time," stated Eric Tesoriero, DO, anesthesiologist for St. Luke’s and a collaborator on the undertaking. The unit, engineered by Lehigh students and workers and assembled at St. Luke’s by biomedical engineer Jay Johnson, has been affectionally named the "Bug Zapper" not only due to its appearance, but due to its COVID-killing properties. "It is unimaginable that this venture moved at such a fast pace," remarks Dr. Tansu. The crew ranged from PhDs to MDs and even included an unexpected contributor - Axel Tansu, Dr. Tansu’s adolescent son. In actual fact, it was Axel’s contribution that allowed the unit to have such a high-throughput price. "Our authentic design was cylindrical in shape, to make sure 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 guard the team’s mental design has been filed. And Zap Zone Defender a celebration for the collaborators to fulfill, in-particular person, might be deliberate once it is safe to take action. Until then, Zap Zone Defender the Bug Zapper will probably be arduous at work, helping to guard the frontline employees at St. Luke’s and past. This, like so many other tales, presents a ray of hope in the course of the pandemic - showcasing that the human thoughts and spirit can overcome anything - especially when working collectively for Zap Zone Defender an amazing trigger. Afterall, as the famous philosopher Plato understood hundreds of years in the past, chemical-free bug control necessity is the mom of invention. Founded in 1872, St. Luke's University Health Network (SLUHN) is a completely integrated, regional, non-profit community of greater than 15,000 employees providing providers at 11 hospitals and 300 outpatient websites. With annual internet revenue greater than $2 billion, the Network’s service area contains 11 counties: Lehigh, Northampton, Zap Zone Defender Berks, Bucks, Carbon, Montgomery, Monroe, Schuylkill and Luzerne counties in Pennsylvania and Warren and Hunterdon counties in New Jersey.