Bug Zapper Kills COVID-19 Virus

St. Luke’s, Zap Zone Defender Experience Lehigh University collaboration results in clever, life-saving invention. BETHLEHEM, Zap Zone Defender Device PA. - Among tales of hope, generosity and togetherness, the COVID-19 pandemic has also given rise to an incredible feat of ingenuity - the invention of the "Bug Zapper" to sterilize masks. As hospitals and other entrance-line organizations jumped to secure massive portions of life-saving provides and private protecting tools (PPE), there has additionally been the need to identify faster, extra efficient ways to wash and sterilize these objects, particularly the coveted N95 masks. St. Luke’s University Health Network anesthesiologist, Christopher Roscher, MD, anticipated the necessity and an thought started to form. "It turned clear that PPE provides would become restricted because the virus progressed," he says. The St. Luke’s Sterile Processing Department, or SPD, is the place where all surgical and Zap Zone Defender Device medical devices are despatched to be meticulously cleaned, sanitized and Zap Zone Defender Review packaged for reuse. It’s a behind-the-scenes perform that's a necessary a part of the health care system. "On any given day, we're processing many, many objects right here at our hospital in Bethlehem," states Taylor Bennett, St. Luke’s Network Director of Sterile Processing.



"But with the present scenario, there's an overwhelming need to course of our employees’ PPE on a daily basis. For Dr. Roscher, a light went on - actually and figuratively. "I had been doing private analysis about finding ways to decontaminate masks for reuse, and peer-reviewed literature suggested that, in a pandemic, UV-C gentle could be an appropriate technique to sterilize masks," he says. UV-C is a specific range of UV, or extremely-violet, mild and has been shown to deactivate viruses and different pathogens by causing modifications of 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 looking for was a high-throughput sterilization system," stated Dr. Tansu. The 2 organizations joined forces by way of a series of Zoom meetings and a whole bunch of emails, to design, fabricate, install and test the machine - all within a matter of two weeks - and all whereas maintaining social distancing protocols.



The tip outcome: a option to successfully and efficiently sterilize 200 masks each 8 minutes! The "Bug Zapper" in motion. "Our current models were not designed for Zap Zone Defender Device big-scale use. They may only sterilize about 30 masks at a time," stated Eric Tesoriero, DO, anesthesiologist for St. Luke’s and a collaborator on the challenge. The unit, engineered by Lehigh college students and staff and assembled at St. Luke’s by biomedical engineer Jay Johnson, has been affectionally named the "Bug Zapper" not only on account of its look, but resulting from its COVID-killing properties. "It is unimaginable that this project moved at such a speedy 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 reality, it was Axel’s contribution that allowed the unit to have such a excessive-throughput price. "Our unique design was cylindrical in form, Zap Zone Defender Device to ensure even exposure of the light on all surfaces," explains Dr. Tansu.



"Axel came to me and mentioned, ‘Dad, what about an octagon? ’ And Zap Zone Defender sure sufficient, he was right. A patent to protect the team’s intellectual design has been filed. And a celebration for the collaborators to meet, in-particular person, shall be deliberate once it's secure to do so. Until then, the Bug Zapper will be exhausting at work, serving to to protect the frontline workers at St. Luke’s and Zap Zone Defender Device beyond. This, like so many different stories, affords a ray of hope throughout the pandemic - showcasing that the human thoughts and spirit can overcome something - particularly when working together for a great cause. Afterall, because the famous 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 fully integrated, regional, non-revenue network of greater than 15,000 workers offering providers at eleven hospitals and Zap Zone Defender Device 300 outpatient sites. With annual net income larger than $2 billion, the Network’s service space consists of 11 counties: Lehigh, Northampton, Berks, Bucks, Zap Zone Defender Testimonial Carbon, Montgomery, Monroe, Schuylkill and Luzerne counties in Pennsylvania and Zap Zone Defender Review Warren and Hunterdon counties in New Jersey.