Bug Zapper Kills COVID-19 Virus

St. Luke’s, Lehigh University collaboration results in clever, 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 front-line organizations jumped to safe massive portions of life-saving supplies and private protecting gear (PPE), there has additionally been the necessity to establish faster, more environment friendly ways to wash and sterilize those gadgets, particularly the coveted N95 masks. St. Luke’s University Health Network anesthesiologist, mosquito prevention device Christopher Roscher, MD, anticipated the need and an concept began to kind. "It became clear that PPE provides would turn out to be restricted as the virus progressed," he says. The St. Luke’s Sterile Processing Department, or SPD, is the place where all surgical and medical devices are sent to be meticulously cleaned, sanitized and mosquito prevention device packaged for reuse. It’s a behind-the-scenes function that is a necessary part of the well being care 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 every day. For Dr. Roscher, a gentle went on - actually and figuratively. "I had been doing private research about finding ways to decontaminate masks for reuse, and peer-reviewed literature recommended that, in a pandemic, UV-C light might be an appropriate technique to sterilize masks," he says. UV-C is a selected range of UV, or ultra-violet, light and has been shown to deactivate viruses and other pathogens by causing changes of their DNA. Through a mutual contact, Dr. Roscher acquired 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 on the lookout for mosquito prevention device was a excessive-throughput sterilization system," stated Dr. Tansu. The two organizations joined forces by means of a collection of Zoom conferences and tons of of emails, to design, fabricate, set up and check the mosquito prevention device - all inside a matter of two weeks - and all whereas sustaining social distancing protocols.



The end consequence: a approach to successfully and effectively sterilize 200 masks each eight minutes! The "Bug Zapper" in motion. "Our existing units were not designed for giant-scale use. They might only sterilize about 30 masks at a time," stated Eric Tesoriero, DO, anesthesiologist for St. Luke’s and a collaborator on the venture. The unit, engineered by Lehigh students and employees and assembled at St. Luke’s by biomedical engineer Jay Johnson, has been affectionally named the "best bug zapper Zapper" not only due to its appearance, but because of its COVID-killing properties. "It is incredible that this challenge moved at such a fast velocity," remarks Dr. Tansu. The crew 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 rate. "Our unique design was cylindrical in form, to make sure even publicity of the sunshine on all surfaces," explains Dr. Tansu.



"Axel got here to me and said, ‘Dad, what about an octagon? ’ And certain enough, he was proper. A patent to guard the team’s intellectual design has been filed. And a celebration for the collaborators to meet, in-particular person, mosquito prevention device will be deliberate once it is safe to do so. Until then, the cordless bug zapper Zapper will probably be exhausting at work, serving to to guard the frontline staff at St. Luke’s and past. This, like so many other stories, offers a ray of hope during the pandemic - showcasing that the human mind and spirit can overcome something - especially when working collectively for an ideal trigger. Afterall, as 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 integrated, regional, non-revenue network of more than 15,000 employees offering services at eleven hospitals and 300 outpatient sites. With annual internet revenue higher than $2 billion, the Network’s service space contains 11 counties: Lehigh, Northampton, Berks, Bucks, rechargeable bug zapper for backyard zapper Carbon, Montgomery, Monroe, mosquito killer Schuylkill and Luzerne counties in Pennsylvania and Warren and Hunterdon counties in New Jersey.