It’s a special weapon used to fight a dangerous fungus by doing something humans can’t by zapping a growing threat before it can infect vulnerable patients.
The spread of a highly treatment-resistant super fungus has raised severe concerns in long-term care facilities and hospitals around the country, including southeast Michigan.
Part of the problem with this fungus is that it is extremely difficult to eliminate from surfaces.
We’re talking about Candida auris.
It can kill 60% of the patients who become actively infected, which is why we’re so concerned about hospitals.
We already use extremely potent disinfectants, but now ultraviolet robots are proving to be extra effective for a Metro Detroit hospital system.
“We’ve invested millions of dollars in our robot program for our health system,” said Jennifer Ritz, RN.
Ritz is a nurse and the director of environmental services at Henry Ford Health, and she says their patients continue to reap the benefits.
“Every new emerging pathogen that comes out, we’re finding out that the UV robot kills those germs and bacteria,” Ritz said.
The use of ultraviolet Xenex robots grew significantly during the pandemic, but not all hospital systems adopted the technology.
“The LightStrike robot has a xenon lamp,” said Morris Miller. “When it pulses, it puts out broad-spectrum, high-intensity ultraviolet light that penetrates the cell wall, deactivating the cell and preventing it from replicating.”
Miller is the CEO of Xenex Disinfection Services.
“More than 40 universities and hospitals have published about the efficacy of the LightStrike robot,” Miller said. “They’ve shown that it can kill bacteria, viruses, and spores.”
And having the extra level of disinfection can be substantial.
“When we go into a Candida auris room, if we have a patient, we would clean it with a sporicidal agent, which is bleach most likely, and then we bring the robot in to do any extra adjunct treatment to the room,” Ritz said.
Henry Ford Health said they’re proud to provide the extra cleaning to ensure the safety of others.
“These are extensions of our team, and we protect our robots because, as you mentioned, they’re very expensive, and we need them to keep our environment clean and safe,” Ritz said.
Candida auris is generally considered most dangerous for immune-compromised people, the elderly, those with serious chronic illnesses, and people with implanted medical devices like breathing tubes, feeding tubes, or other catheters.
It is not a threat to people in good health.
Cost is a big issue as each unit starts at $100,000 each.
Local 4 also has to point out that while it is another layer of safety, even though it isn’t perfect, germs out of the reach of the light won’t be killed.
But the extra layer is better than nothing.
Read: Deadly drug-resistant infections caused by ‘Candida Auris’ are rising in Michigan hospitals