Bug Zapper Kills COVID-19 Virus

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St. Luke’s, Lehigh University collaboration results in intelligent, life-saving invention. BETHLEHEM, PA. - Among tales of hope, Zap Zone Defender generosity and Zap Zone Defender System togetherness, the COVID-19 pandemic has additionally given rise to an unimaginable feat of ingenuity - the invention of the "Bug Zapper" to sterilize masks. As hospitals and different entrance-line organizations jumped to safe large quantities of life-saving supplies and private protecting tools (PPE), there has also been the need to establish quicker, extra efficient methods to scrub and sterilize these gadgets, notably the coveted N95 masks. St. Luke’s University Health Network anesthesiologist, Christopher Roscher, MD, anticipated the need and an idea began to kind. "It grew to become clear that PPE provides would turn into restricted as the virus progressed," he says. The St. Luke’s Sterile Processing Department, or SPD, is the place the place all surgical and medical devices are despatched to be meticulously cleaned, Zap Zone Defender sanitized and packaged for reuse. It’s a behind-the-scenes perform that's an important a part of the health care Zap Zone Defender 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 current scenario, there may be an overwhelming need to course of our employees’ PPE on a daily basis. For Dr. Roscher, a mild went on - actually and figuratively. "I had been doing private research about finding ways to decontaminate masks for reuse, and Zap Zone Defender peer-reviewed literature instructed that, Zap Zone Defender Review in a pandemic, UV-C light could possibly be an acceptable strategy to sterilize masks," he says. UV-C is a specific range of UV, or extremely-violet, mild and has been shown to deactivate viruses and different pathogens by inflicting modifications in their DNA. Through a mutual contact, Dr. Roscher obtained 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 searching for was a excessive-throughput sterilization system," mentioned Dr. Tansu. The 2 organizations joined forces by means of a sequence of Zoom conferences and lots of of emails, to design, fabricate, install and test the machine - all within a matter of two weeks - and all whereas maintaining social distancing protocols.



The end consequence: a way to effectively and effectively sterilize 200 masks each eight minutes! The "Bug Zapper" in action. "Our present items were not designed for big-scale use. They may only sterilize about 30 masks at a time," acknowledged Eric Tesoriero, DO, anesthesiologist for St. Luke’s and a collaborator on the venture. 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, however attributable to its COVID-killing properties. "It is incredible that this project moved at such a fast velocity," remarks Dr. Tansu. The staff 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 charge. "Our unique design was cylindrical in form, 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 certain sufficient, he was right. A patent to protect the team’s intellectual design has been filed. And a celebration for the collaborators to satisfy, in-particular person, might be deliberate once it's secure to do so. Until then, the Bug Zapper will likely be hard at work, serving to to protect the frontline workers at St. Luke’s and beyond. This, Zap Zone Defender System like so many other stories, provides a ray of hope during the pandemic - showcasing that the human thoughts and spirit can overcome anything - particularly when working together for a terrific cause. Afterall, as the famous philosopher Plato understood 1000's of years in the past, necessity is the mom of invention. Founded in 1872, St. Luke's University Health Network (SLUHN) is a completely integrated, regional, non-revenue community of greater than 15,000 staff offering services at 11 hospitals and 300 outpatient sites. With annual net revenue larger than $2 billion, the Network’s service area contains 11 counties: Lehigh, Northampton, Berks, Bucks, Carbon, Montgomery, Monroe, Schuylkill and Luzerne counties in Pennsylvania and Warren and Hunterdon counties in New Jersey.