St. Luke’s, Lehigh University collaboration results in intelligent, life-saving invention. BETHLEHEM, PA. - Among stories of hope, Zap Zone Defender generosity and togetherness, the COVID-19 pandemic has additionally 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 personal protective tools (PPE), there has additionally been the necessity to identify quicker, more efficient ways to scrub and Zap Zone Defender sterilize these items, notably the coveted N95 masks. St. Luke’s University Health Network anesthesiologist, Christopher Roscher, MD, anticipated the need and an thought started to kind. "It became clear that PPE supplies would develop into restricted as the virus progressed," he says. The St. Luke’s Sterile Processing Department, or Zap Zone Defender Review SPD, Zap Zone Defender USA is the place the place all surgical and medical instruments are sent to be meticulously cleaned, sanitized and packaged for reuse. It’s a behind-the-scenes perform that's a vital a part of the well being care system. "On any given day, we are processing many, many objects here at our hospital in Bethlehem," states Taylor Zap Zone Defender Bennett, St. Luke’s Network Director of Sterile Processing.
"But with the current scenario, there's an overwhelming need to course of our employees’ PPE every day. For Dr. Roscher, a light went on - literally and figuratively. "I had been doing non-public research about finding ways to decontaminate masks for reuse, and Zap Zone Defender peer-reviewed literature instructed that, Zap Zone Defender in a pandemic, UV-C gentle might be an appropriate technique to sterilize masks," he says. UV-C is a specific range of UV, or extremely-violet, gentle and has been shown to deactivate viruses and other pathogens by causing changes in their DNA. Through a mutual contact, Dr. Roscher received 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 in search of was a excessive-throughput sterilization system," said Dr. Tansu. The two organizations joined forces by way of a series of Zoom conferences and a whole lot of emails, to design, fabricate, install and test the device - all within a matter of two weeks - and all whereas maintaining social distancing protocols.
The tip result: a technique to effectively and efficiently sterilize 200 masks every eight minutes! The "Bug Zapper" in action. "Our existing items weren't designed for 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 mission. 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 solely as a consequence of its look, but due to its COVID-killing properties. "It is unimaginable that this project moved at such a rapid velocity," remarks Dr. Tansu. The workforce ranged from PhDs to MDs and even included an unexpected contributor - Axel Tansu, Dr. Tansu’s adolescent son. Actually, it was Axel’s contribution that allowed the unit to have such a excessive-throughput rate. "Our original design was cylindrical in form, to ensure even exposure of the sunshine on all surfaces," explains Dr. Tansu.
"Axel got here to me and mentioned, ‘Dad, what about an octagon? ’ And positive sufficient, Zap Zone Defender Review he was right. A patent to guard the team’s mental design has been filed. And Zap Zone Defender a celebration for the collaborators to meet, in-person, shall be deliberate once it's protected to do so. Until then, the Bug Zapper will be exhausting at work, serving to to guard the frontline workers at St. Luke’s and beyond. This, like so many different tales, provides a ray of hope during the pandemic - showcasing that the human thoughts and spirit can overcome anything - particularly when working together for an excellent cause. Afterall, because the well-known philosopher Plato understood thousands of years ago, necessity is the mother of invention. Founded in 1872, St. Luke's University Health Network (SLUHN) is a totally built-in, Zap Zone Defender regional, non-profit community of more than 15,000 employees offering providers at 11 hospitals and 300 outpatient websites. With annual internet income higher than $2 billion, the Network’s service area contains eleven counties: Lehigh, Northampton, Official Zap Zone Defender Berks, Bucks, Carbon, Montgomery, Monroe, Schuylkill and Luzerne counties in Pennsylvania and Warren and Hunterdon counties in New Jersey.