Burnaby Hospital has a new weapon against infection: the Germinator.
That’s the light-hearted name employees have given to the new Xenex Light Strike Robot cleaning machine. Yet it means serious business for patient care.
Fraser Health Infection Prevention and Control launched the Ultraviolet Germicidal Irradiation (UVGI) machine trials last month in three facilities: Burnaby, Ridge Meadows, and Abbotsford Regional Hospitals.
UVGI machines are cutting edge technology designed to reduce bacteria and viruses in health care facilities in tandem with traditional housekeeping and chemical cleaning methods. The machines emit short pulses of UV light which have a germicidal effect on stubborn microbes that normally linger on surfaces. The light damages the DNA and RNA of antibiotic-resistant pathogens including C. diff (Clostridium difficile), MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus), and vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE).
Source: hospitalnews.com
