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 unbelievable feat of ingenuity - the invention of the "Bug Zapper" to sterilize masks. As hospitals and other entrance-line organizations jumped to safe large portions of life-saving provides and personal protective gear (PPE), Zap Zone Defender Testimonial there has additionally been the need to determine faster, extra environment friendly methods to clean and sterilize these items, significantly the coveted N95 masks. St. Luke’s University Health Network anesthesiologist, Christopher Roscher, MD, anticipated the need and an thought began to form. "It became clear that PPE provides would turn into limited as the virus progressed," he says. The St. Luke’s Sterile Processing Department, or Zap Zone Defender Review SPD, is the place where all surgical and medical devices are despatched to be meticulously cleaned, sanitized and packaged for Zap Zone Defender Testimonial reuse. It’s a behind-the-scenes perform that's a necessary a part of the well being care system. "On any given day, we are processing many, many gadgets 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 have to course of our employees’ PPE every 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 suggested that, in a pandemic, UV-C light could be an acceptable technique to sterilize masks," he says. UV-C is a specific vary of UV, or extremely-violet, mild and has been proven to deactivate viruses and other pathogens by causing changes in 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 on the lookout for Zap Zone Defender Testimonial was a high-throughput sterilization system," stated Dr. Tansu. The two organizations joined forces through a series of Zoom meetings and lots of of emails, to design, fabricate, install and take a look at the gadget - all within a matter of two weeks - and all while maintaining social distancing protocols.

The tip end result: a option to successfully and effectively sterilize 200 masks each eight minutes! The "Bug Zapper" in action. "Our present units weren't designed for giant-scale use. They might only sterilize about 30 masks at a time," said Eric Tesoriero, DO, anesthesiologist for St. Luke’s and a collaborator on the challenge. 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" not only as a consequence of its look, but because of its COVID-killing properties. "It is unimaginable that this project moved at such a rapid speed," remarks Dr. Tansu. The crew ranged from PhDs to MDs and even included an unexpected contributor - Axel Tansu, Dr. Tansu’s adolescent son. In fact, it was Axel’s contribution that allowed the unit to have such a high-throughput price. "Our original design was cylindrical in shape, to ensure even publicity of the light on all surfaces," explains Dr. Tansu.

"Axel came to me and said, ‘Dad, what about an octagon? ’ And sure sufficient, he was proper. A patent to guard the team’s intellectual design has been filed. And Zap Zone Defender Testimonial a celebration for the collaborators to fulfill, in-individual, Defender by Zap Zone will probably be planned once it is secure to do so. Until then, the Bug Zapper will be onerous at work, helping to guard the frontline employees at St. Luke’s and past. This, like so many other tales, gives a ray of hope through the pandemic - showcasing that the human thoughts and spirit can overcome anything - particularly when working collectively for an awesome trigger. Afterall, as the well-known philosopher Plato understood 1000's of years ago, Zap Zone Defender System necessity is the mother of invention. Founded in 1872, St. Luke's University Health Network (SLUHN) is a fully built-in, regional, non-profit network of greater than 15,000 employees providing providers at eleven hospitals and 300 outpatient websites. With annual internet revenue greater than $2 billion, the Network’s service space consists of eleven counties: Zap Zone Defender Testimonial Lehigh, Northampton, Zap Zone Defender Device Berks, Bucks, Zap Zone Defender Testimonial Carbon, Montgomery, Monroe, Schuylkill and Luzerne counties in Pennsylvania and Warren and Hunterdon counties in New Jersey.

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Pub: 11 Aug 2025 02:44 UTC

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