Stillwater Medical Center has taken a step to enhance patient care with the installation of six LightStrike® Germ-Zapping Robots™ that quickly destroy bacteria, viruses, mold and other pathogens that can cause healthcare associated infections (HAI).

The Xenex robots use pulsed xenon ultraviolet (UV) light to quickly destroy bacteria, viruses, fungi and bacterial spores. The portable disinfection system is effective against even the most dangerous pathogens, including Clostridium difficile (C. diff), norovirus, influenza, Ebola and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, better known as MRSA.

“UV has been used for disinfection for decades,” said Necia Kimber, Stillwater Medical’s Infection Control Nurse. “The portable Xenex system can disinfect a typical patient or procedure room in a five-minute cycle without warm-up or cool-down times.”

Operated by the hospital environmental services and patient care staff, it can be used in any department and in any unit within a healthcare facility, including isolation rooms, operating rooms, general patient care rooms, contact precaution areas, emergency rooms, bathrooms and public spaces.

“The technology utilizes pulsed xenon to create germicidal UV light. Pulsed xenon emits high intensity UVC light which penetrates the cell walls of microorganisms, including bacteria, viruses, mold, fungus and spores. Their DNA is fused, rendering them unable to reproduce or mutate, effectively killing them on surfaces,” said Kimber.

The Xenex pulsed xenon UV disinfection system has been credited by numerous health care facilities across the U.S. for helping them reduce their infection rates significantly. Several hospitals have published their C.diff, MRSA and Surgical Site infection rate reduction studies in peer-reviewed journals. More than 400 hospitals, Veterans Affairs and Department of Defense facilities in the U.S., Canada, Africa, UK, Japan and Europe are using Xenex robots, which are also in use in skilled nursing facilities, ambulatory surgery centers and long term acute care facilities.

“We are excited that our Board and Administration recognize the importance of infection control and patient safety,” said Kimber.  Our top priority has always been excellent patient care and these robots will ensure that our patients are being cared for in the cleanest environment possible. Our goal with these new robots is to disinfect 100% of discharged rooms.”