Nope, you read the title right, and if you just take a look at the picture, you'll see what I'm talking about:
This is a new product called the Xenex, developed at the Houston Technology Center by epidemiologists Julie Stachowiak and Mark Stibich. Built to use UV light to kill harmful microorganisms, the Xenex is now in about two dozen hospitals across the country, and the efficiency of these machines has sparked interest.
Dr. Mary Jo Cagle, the chief quality officer of Cone Health, a five-hospital healthcare system in North Carolina, recently evaluated the benefits of the Xenex in her hospitals. Since four of Cone's hospitals began using the Xenex in January 2011, the chain has reduced its incidence of MRSA infections by 35% hospital-wide, and lowered it to zero in the intensive care units, where infections can be the most devastating.
For very sick patients, a bug as common as MRSA (which was hyped up in the media a couple of years ago) could spell disaster. At Cooley Dickinson Hospital in Northampton, Massachusetts, there was a 67% drop in cases of infection related to the superbug C. diff, which can cause diarrhea, sepsis and death, even in a relatively healthy patient.
So what's the secret behind this wonderful machine? Light, specifically of the UV variety. The same light that you fear because of the threat of sunburn and melanoma is being used to clean hospital rooms of dangerous little bugs that could make patients even sicker. While the details of how the UV light kills the microorganisms are unknown at the time of this writing, my guess is that it has something to do with the resonant frequency of the bugs.
This is a great idea that anyone should appreciate, but the real publicity and marketing guy making the magic happen is Brian Cruver, a former Enron trader. As a former part of a company that leaves a bitter imprint on the economy for its rampant corruption, he says he "wanted to get involved with ventures that did some good." Since he joined the Xenex company in 2009 as CEO, he has expanded it to 30 employees and raised over $5 million from investors. And the machines are doing well too.
Each Xenex costs about $80,000, and the average hospital needs at least two to disinfect every room once a day. While this sounds expensive to the common man or college student, but a MRSA infection could cost upwards of $28,000 to treat, costs which the hospital would have to supply if the infection was caught there. Cone Health estimates a savings of at least $3 million with the addition of Xenex, making the devices extremely cost effective.
The best part is that doctors and nurses don't have to disrupt their normal routines, and cleaning can be done much faster. This will overall result in higher patient care and health. Job well done!
This is a new product called the Xenex, developed at the Houston Technology Center by epidemiologists Julie Stachowiak and Mark Stibich. Built to use UV light to kill harmful microorganisms, the Xenex is now in about two dozen hospitals across the country, and the efficiency of these machines has sparked interest.
Dr. Mary Jo Cagle, the chief quality officer of Cone Health, a five-hospital healthcare system in North Carolina, recently evaluated the benefits of the Xenex in her hospitals. Since four of Cone's hospitals began using the Xenex in January 2011, the chain has reduced its incidence of MRSA infections by 35% hospital-wide, and lowered it to zero in the intensive care units, where infections can be the most devastating.
For very sick patients, a bug as common as MRSA (which was hyped up in the media a couple of years ago) could spell disaster. At Cooley Dickinson Hospital in Northampton, Massachusetts, there was a 67% drop in cases of infection related to the superbug C. diff, which can cause diarrhea, sepsis and death, even in a relatively healthy patient.
This is a great idea that anyone should appreciate, but the real publicity and marketing guy making the magic happen is Brian Cruver, a former Enron trader. As a former part of a company that leaves a bitter imprint on the economy for its rampant corruption, he says he "wanted to get involved with ventures that did some good." Since he joined the Xenex company in 2009 as CEO, he has expanded it to 30 employees and raised over $5 million from investors. And the machines are doing well too.
Each Xenex costs about $80,000, and the average hospital needs at least two to disinfect every room once a day. While this sounds expensive to the common man or college student, but a MRSA infection could cost upwards of $28,000 to treat, costs which the hospital would have to supply if the infection was caught there. Cone Health estimates a savings of at least $3 million with the addition of Xenex, making the devices extremely cost effective.The best part is that doctors and nurses don't have to disrupt their normal routines, and cleaning can be done much faster. This will overall result in higher patient care and health. Job well done!
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