MEPION

St. Luke’s, Lehigh University collaboration leads to clever, life-saving invention. BETHLEHEM, PA. - Among stories of hope, generosity and togetherness, Zap Zone Defender the COVID-19 pandemic has also given rise to an incredible feat of ingenuity - the invention of the "Bug Zapper" to sterilize masks. As hospitals and different front-line organizations jumped to secure large quantities of life-saving provides and private protecting gear (PPE), there has additionally been the need to identify quicker, more 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 necessity and an concept started to kind. "It grew to become clear that PPE provides would change into restricted because the virus progressed," he says. The St. Luke’s Sterile Processing Department, or SPD, Zap Zone Defender is the place where all surgical and medical instruments are sent to be meticulously cleaned, sanitized and packaged for reuse. It’s a behind-the-scenes perform that's a vital part of the well being care system. "On any given day, we're processing many, many gadgets right here at our hospital in Bethlehem," states Taylor Bennett, St. Luke’s Network Director Zap Zone Defender of Sterile Processing.

"But with the present state of affairs, there is an overwhelming must course of our employees’ PPE each day. For Dr. Roscher, a gentle went on - actually and figuratively. "I had been doing non-public analysis about discovering methods to decontaminate masks for reuse, and peer-reviewed literature advised that, in a pandemic, UV-C mild could possibly be an appropriate technique to sterilize masks," he says. UV-C is a selected range of UV, or ultra-violet, light and has been proven to deactivate viruses and other pathogens by inflicting modifications in their DNA. Through a mutual contact, Dr. Roscher received 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 searching for was a high-throughput sterilization system," said Dr. Tansu. The two organizations joined forces by means of a collection of Zoom meetings and lots of of emails, to design, fabricate, install and take a look at the device - all within a matter of two weeks - and all whereas maintaining social distancing protocols.

The end result: a strategy to effectively and efficiently sterilize 200 masks each 8 minutes! The "Bug Zapper" in action. "Our existing units were not designed for large-scale use. They could solely sterilize about 30 masks at a time," stated Eric Tesoriero, DO, anesthesiologist for St. Luke’s and a collaborator on the mission. The unit, engineered by Lehigh students and employees and assembled at St. Luke’s by biomedical engineer Jay Johnson, has been affectionally named the "Bug Zapper" not only as a result of its look, but due to its COVID-killing properties. "It is unbelievable that this challenge moved at such a rapid velocity," remarks Dr. Tansu. The group ranged from PhDs to MDs and even included an unexpected contributor - Axel Tansu, Dr. Tansu’s adolescent son. In truth, it was Axel’s contribution that allowed the unit to have such a high-throughput rate. "Our original design was cylindrical in form, to ensure even publicity of the sunshine on all surfaces," explains Dr. Tansu.

"Axel came to me and mentioned, ‘Dad, what about an octagon? ’ And positive enough, he was right. A patent to protect the team’s intellectual design has been filed. And a celebration for the collaborators to fulfill, in-particular person, will probably be planned as soon as it's safe to do so. Until then, the Bug Zapper will probably be laborious at work, helping to guard the frontline employees at St. Luke’s and past. This, like so many other tales, Zap Zone Defender affords a ray of hope during the pandemic - showcasing that the human thoughts and spirit can overcome something - especially when working collectively for a great cause. Afterall, because the famous philosopher Plato understood hundreds of years ago, Zap Zone Defender necessity is the mother of invention. Founded in 1872, St. Luke's University Health Network (SLUHN) is a fully built-in, regional, non-profit community of greater than 15,000 workers providing companies at eleven hospitals and 300 outpatient sites. With annual net income larger than $2 billion, Zap Zone Defender the Network’s service space includes 11 counties: Lehigh, Northampton, Berks, Bucks, Carbon, Montgomery, Monroe, Schuylkill and Zap Zone Defender Luzerne counties in Pennsylvania and Warren and Zap Zone Defender Hunterdon counties in New Jersey.