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Disinfecting robot zaps superbugs

A new breakthrough in superbug fighting technology is changing the way patients view hospitals—and it goes by the name TRU-D. The Total Room Ultraviolet Disinfector uses a modified germicidal light to zap bacteria and viruses, and with just one use, it has 99.9 percent disinfection of bacteria and spores, such as influenza and norovirus. “It stops the bacterial organisms from reproducing, and any organism that can't reproduce can't colonize on a patients’ body,” said Michael Hossary, director of environmental services at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick, N.J. The TRU-D robot is used in patient isolation areas like the operating room and intensive care unit. After being placed in the room, all drawers are opened, all doors are closed and safety signs are put outside the room to ensure no one enters. The robot is then activated remotely. TRU-D’s Sensor360 technology automatically calculates the UV dose required to disinfect a room. It takes anywhere from 30 minutes to 2.5 hours and can destroy deadly superbugs like C. difficile and MRSA. According to the Centers for Disease Control, C. difficile is linked to 14,000 American deaths each year. TRU-D is only used after traditional hospital cleaning methods are used. “Traditional cleanup methods for isolation patients usually include use of germicidal chemicals on all high touch point surfaces, replacement of the curtains, washing of the walls to ensure patient safety and reduce infection rates,” Hossary said. Over 100 devices are now being used in hospitals across the U.S. and Canada, and Hossary said it’s just one more step to keep patients healthy – especially since most people who visit the hospital are already apprehensive. “It's not easy knowing that you have to go to the hospital,” Hossary said. “Whether it’s for elective surgery or some unexpected event that happens in your life where you have to end up in the ER. So the uncertainty is definitely there, and we want to give patients a piece of mind for that.”source : http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/06/05/disinfecting-robot-zaps-superbugs/