UHC has the most Xenex Germ-Zapping Robots in West Virginia

BRIDGEPORT, W.Va. -- United Hospital Center announced that it has the most Xenex LightStrike™ Germ-Zapping Robots™ in West Virginia. The three robots will be used to enhance environmental cleanliness by disinfecting and destroying hard-to-kill germs, bacteria, and superbugs in hard-to-clean places.

The three Xenex robots will use Full Spectrum™ 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.

“We want to do everything within our means to provide a clean environment at our facilities to reduce the risk of hospital acquired infections,” Mark Povroznik, Pharm.D., vice president of quality and chief quality officer, said.

“UHC has long been recognized as a leader in medical technology and highly specialized care, so it’s only fitting that we should employ the same level of technological innovation when it comes to removing the pathogens that can cause these infections. One hospital acquired infection is one too many, so we are excited to begin using the Xenex system to help us achieve our goal of zero infections. This investment is important and underscores UHC’s commitment to patient care and the communities we serve.”

UV has been used for disinfection for decades. The Xenex LightStrike™ Germ-Zapping Robot is a new technology that utilizes pulsed xenon (not mercury bulbs) 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 without contact or chemicals.

The portable Xenex system can disinfect a typical patient or procedure room in four- or five-minute cycles (depending on the robot model) without warm-up or cool-down times. 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 Xenex pulsed xenon UV disinfection system has been credited by healthcare 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, showing infection rate reductions in excess of 70 percent. Nearly 400 hospitals, Veterans Affairs, and D.O.D. facilities in the U.S., Canada, Africa, UK, and Europe are using Xenex robots, which are also in use in skilled nursing facilities, ambulatory surgery centers, and long-term acute care facilities.