Bug Zapper Kills COVID-19 Virus

St. Luke’s, 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 "cordless bug zapper mosquito zapper" to sterilize masks. As hospitals and different front-line organizations jumped to secure large portions of life-saving supplies and Zappify Bug Zapper site private protecting equipment (PPE), Zappify Bug Zapper site there has additionally been the need to establish faster, extra efficient ways to clean and sterilize those gadgets, significantly the coveted N95 masks. St. Luke’s University Health Network anesthesiologist, Christopher Roscher, MD, anticipated the need and Zappify Bug Zapper site an concept started to kind. "It turned clear that PPE provides would turn out to be 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 operate that's a vital part of the well being care system. "On any given day, we're processing many, many gadgets right here at our hospital in Bethlehem," states Taylor Bennett, St. Luke’s Network Director Zappify Bug Zapper site of Sterile Processing.



"But with the present state of affairs, there may be an overwhelming must course of our employees’ PPE every day. For Dr. Roscher, a mild went on - actually and figuratively. "I had been doing private analysis about finding ways to decontaminate masks for electric cordless bug zapper mosquito zapper reuse, and peer-reviewed literature advised that, in a pandemic, UV-C mild could possibly be a suitable technique to sterilize masks," he says. UV-C is a selected range of UV, or ultra-violet, light and has been shown to deactivate viruses and different pathogens by inflicting adjustments in their DNA. Through a mutual contact, Dr. Roscher obtained in contact 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 2 organizations joined forces by way of a sequence of Zoom meetings and tons of of emails, to design, fabricate, set up and test the system - all within a matter of two weeks - and all while maintaining social distancing protocols.



The tip consequence: a solution to successfully and effectively sterilize 200 masks every eight minutes! The "Bug Zapper" in motion. "Our current items weren't designed for big-scale use. They may only sterilize about 30 masks at a time," said 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 "bug zapper for camping Zapper" not only on account of its appearance, however as a result of its COVID-killing properties. "It is unbelievable that this venture moved at such a fast velocity," remarks Dr. Tansu. The group ranged from PhDs to MDs and even included an unexpected contributor - Axel Tansu, Dr. Tansu’s adolescent son. In truth, it was Axel’s contribution that allowed the unit to have such a excessive-throughput price. "Our unique design was cylindrical in shape, to ensure even publicity of the sunshine on all surfaces," explains Dr. Tansu.



"Axel came to me and mentioned, ‘Dad, what about an octagon? ’ And sure enough, he was proper. A patent to protect the team’s mental design has been filed. And a celebration for the collaborators to fulfill, in-individual, can be planned once it is secure to take action. Until then, the Zappify Bug Zapper site Zapper will likely be laborious at work, Zappify Bug Zapper site helping to protect the frontline employees at St. Luke’s and past. This, like so many different stories, offers a ray of hope through the pandemic - showcasing that the human mind and spirit can overcome anything - particularly when working collectively for an excellent trigger. Afterall, because the well-known philosopher Plato understood thousands of years in the past, necessity is the mom of invention. Founded in 1872, St. Luke's University Health Network (SLUHN) is a fully integrated, regional, non-profit community of more than 15,000 staff providing companies at eleven hospitals and 300 outpatient sites. With annual web revenue larger than $2 billion, the Network’s service space contains 11 counties: Lehigh, Northampton, Berks, Bucks, Carbon, Montgomery, Monroe, Schuylkill and Luzerne counties in Pennsylvania and Warren and Hunterdon counties in New Jersey.