St. Luke’s, Lehigh University collaboration results in intelligent, life-saving invention. BETHLEHEM, PA. - Among tales of hope, generosity and togetherness, the COVID-19 pandemic has also given rise to an incredible feat of ingenuity - the invention of the "portable bug zapper Zapper" to sterilize masks. As hospitals and different entrance-line organizations jumped to safe giant portions of life-saving supplies and private protective tools (PPE), there has also been the necessity to determine quicker, more environment friendly ways to scrub and sterilize these gadgets, particularly the coveted N95 masks. St. Luke’s University Health Network anesthesiologist, indoor bug zapper for camping zapper Christopher Roscher, MD, anticipated the necessity and an thought started to type. "It grew to become clear that PPE provides would grow to be limited as the virus progressed," he says. The St. Luke’s Sterile Processing Department, or ZappifyBug.com SPD, is the place the place all surgical and medical devices are sent to be meticulously cleaned, sanitized and packaged for reuse. It’s a behind-the-scenes perform that's an important a part of the health care system. "On any given day, we're processing many, many gadgets here at our hospital in Bethlehem," states Taylor Bennett, St. Luke’s Network Director of Sterile Processing.

"But with the present state of affairs, there is an overwhelming have to course of our employees’ PPE every day. For Dr. Roscher, a gentle went on - literally and figuratively. "I had been doing personal analysis about discovering ways to decontaminate masks for reuse, dev.neos.epss.ucla.edu and peer-reviewed literature suggested that, in a pandemic, UV-C light may very well be an acceptable technique to sterilize masks," he says. UV-C is a particular range of UV, or extremely-violet, mild and has been proven to deactivate viruses and different pathogens by causing modifications in their DNA. Through a mutual contact, Dr. Roscher bought 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 looking for was a high-throughput sterilization system," said Dr. Tansu. The two organizations joined forces through a series of Zoom conferences and lots of of emails, to design, fabricate, set up and take a look at the gadget - all within a matter of two weeks - and all while sustaining social distancing protocols.

The top outcome: a solution to effectively and effectively sterilize 200 masks every 8 minutes! The "Bug Zapper" in motion. "Our current models weren't designed for giant-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 challenge. The unit, engineered by Lehigh college students and workers and assembled at St. Luke’s by biomedical engineer Jay Johnson, has been affectionally named the "bug zapper for camping Zapper" not only as a result of its look, however as a consequence of its COVID-killing properties. "It is unimaginable that this project moved at such a speedy speed," remarks Dr. Tansu. The staff 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 authentic design was cylindrical in form, to ensure even exposure of the light on all surfaces," explains Dr. Tansu.

"Axel got here to me and mentioned, ‘Dad, what about an octagon? ’ And sure sufficient, he was right. A patent to protect the team’s mental design has been filed. And a celebration for the collaborators to meet, in-person, will probably be deliberate as soon as it's safe to do so. Until then, the bug zapper sale fly zapper might be onerous at work, helping to guard the frontline staff at St. Luke’s and past. This, like so many other tales, provides a ray of hope through the pandemic - showcasing that the human mind and spirit can overcome something - particularly when working together for a terrific cause. Afterall, as the famous philosopher Plato understood thousands of years in the past, necessity is the mom of invention. Founded in 1872, St. Luke's University Health Network (SLUHN) is a completely integrated, regional, non-profit network of greater than 15,000 staff providing companies at 11 hospitals and 300 outpatient sites. With annual internet income larger than $2 billion, the Network’s service area contains eleven counties: Lehigh, Northampton, Berks, Bucks, Carbon, Montgomery, Monroe, Schuylkill and Luzerne counties in Pennsylvania and Warren and Hunterdon counties in New Jersey.