Germ-zapping robots are the latest technology for killing germs at hospitals around the country. Now Renown Health has purchased four of the machines for its hospitals in Reno.
The machines send out special ultra-violet light to destroy germs in hospital rooms, operating rooms and intensive care units. “The robots kill 99.9% of the micro-organisms they come in contact with,” explained Amy McCombs, Director of Infection Prevention at Renown Health.
Rachael Sparks of Xenex Disinfecting Services explained how the machines work. "UVC light is produced from a xenon bulb inside the device. It pulses very brightly inside the room and that causes damage to the bacteria and viruses," she said.
The portable machines are used to clean rooms when patients check out so others don't get sick. "It's effective at eliminating most superbugs like C-diff, MRSA, Norovirus, Measles and even Ebola," McCombs said.
The machines are particularly good at zapping things we can't see. "We don't have microscope eyes, and that's part of the problem with trying to clean the rooms, we try to clean the rooms, but studies show we leave 50% of the surfaces unclean," Sparks explained.
Renown Health has purchased four of the germ destroying machines. "They cost about $100,000 each, so we've made a $400,000 investment in patient safety," McCombs said.
