Bug Zapper Kills COVID-19 Virus

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St. Luke’s, Lehigh University collaboration leads to intelligent, life-saving invention. BETHLEHEM, PA. - Among tales of hope, generosity and togetherness, the COVID-19 pandemic has also 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 secure giant quantities of life-saving supplies and private protecting equipment (PPE), there has additionally been the necessity to establish quicker, extra environment friendly ways to wash and sterilize these gadgets, significantly the coveted N95 masks. St. Luke’s University Health Network anesthesiologist, Christopher Roscher, MD, anticipated the necessity and an idea began to type. "It grew to become clear that PPE provides would change into restricted as the virus progressed," he says. The St. Luke’s Sterile Processing Department, or SPD, is the place where all surgical and Zap Zone Defender Testimonial medical devices are sent to be meticulously cleaned, sanitized and packaged for reuse. It’s a behind-the-scenes perform that's a vital part of the well being care system. "On any given day, we are processing many, many items here at our hospital in Bethlehem," states Taylor Bennett, St. Luke’s Network Director of Sterile Processing.



"But with the current scenario, there's an overwhelming must course of our employees’ PPE every day. For Dr. Roscher, a gentle went on - actually and figuratively. "I had been doing personal analysis about finding ways to decontaminate masks for reuse, and peer-reviewed literature steered that, in a pandemic, UV-C mild could possibly be a suitable technique to sterilize masks," he says. UV-C is a selected vary of UV, or ultra-violet, light and has been proven to deactivate viruses and other pathogens by inflicting changes of their DNA. Through a mutual contact, Dr. Roscher acquired 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 conferences and tons of of emails, to design, fabricate, install and test the system - all inside a matter of two weeks - and all whereas sustaining social distancing protocols.



The top outcome: a method to successfully and efficiently sterilize 200 masks each eight minutes! The "Bug Zapper" in motion. "Our current models weren't designed for giant-scale use. They may solely sterilize about 30 masks at a time," acknowledged 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 solely as a consequence of its appearance, but because of its COVID-killing properties. "It is unimaginable that this project moved at such a fast velocity," remarks Dr. Tansu. The team ranged from PhDs to MDs and even included an unexpected contributor - Axel Tansu, Dr. Tansu’s adolescent son. The truth is, it was Axel’s contribution that allowed the unit to have such a excessive-throughput price. "Our authentic design was cylindrical in shape, to ensure even publicity of the sunshine on all surfaces," explains Dr. Tansu.



"Axel came to me and stated, ‘Dad, what about an octagon? ’ And sure enough, he was right. A patent to protect the team’s mental design has been filed. And a celebration for the collaborators to meet, in-particular person, can be planned once it is secure to do so. Until then, the Bug Zapper might be exhausting at work, helping to protect the frontline workers at St. Luke’s and past. This, like so many different stories, gives a ray of hope throughout the pandemic - showcasing that the human thoughts and spirit can overcome anything - particularly when working collectively for a fantastic cause. Afterall, because the well-known philosopher Plato understood 1000's of years in the past, necessity is the mother of invention. Founded in 1872, St. Luke's University Health Network (SLUHN) is a totally built-in, regional, non-profit network of greater than 15,000 workers providing companies at 11 hospitals and 300 outpatient websites. With annual internet revenue greater than $2 billion, the Network’s service space includes 11 counties: Lehigh, Northampton, Berks, Bucks, Carbon, Montgomery, Monroe, Zap Zone Defender Testimonial Schuylkill and Luzerne counties in Pennsylvania and Warren and Hunterdon counties in New Jersey.